Woodruff - one last time for the season
If you've followed this post in years past, you certainly understand where Woodruff fits in this whole thing. This ride is not for someone that is not committed. It works you both physically and mentally - like HARD! I've lost track of how many times I've done this ride, either from home, or Huntsville - it's a lot. I can honestly say that there has never been a single time stopping in the local store, that the people there have ever been anything less than friendly and hospitable. I'm not an easy person to impress, but I truly enjoy my time when stopping in this place. That is certainly the biggest reason I continue to do this ride year after year. It is always bitter-sweet knowing when it is my last ride for the season to Woodruff. For the past few years, we have come home from the Race through Randolf and Woodruff. When we make that turn west onto SR 39, it is a hard reminder that the season is over. Add that to the last look at Monte and it really makes me miss it. I seem to forget about the pain......
I have ridden into a lot of towns and can tell you, none of them are like riding into Woodruff. Most, if not all little towns in North Cache would rather ban all bike riding - period. I've walked into some places were my kit, gets some pretty.........different reactions. Not in Woodruff. Just today, I roll in, wearing a Lycor kit, over stuffed pockets, Gu's jammed in my leg grippers, wearing patent leather Italian road shoes, and I'm just another guy talking about the weather, or whatever it may be. There is a reason I enjoy this ride, and it has everything to do with the people in this community. You guys are the thing that has made our country great, and you are awesome! Thanks for another terrific year.
The Kids Alright....
The new guy, okay call him the newer guy these days, pulled through with a donation to Huntsman. A sizable donation at that. He has helped Huntsman in the past, as he knows how much it means to me personally. He also knows how "the company" put the screws to this entire effort. Simply put, the kid (and his fam) are alright! Thanks for being a great supporter again. It is truly appreciated.
Today's ride
Generally speaking, all rides have some specific tasks and key points. Today's ride was to manage a full out and back - from home to Woodruff and back - about 126 miles with about 7,800 feet of climbing. Out the door just before 06:30, the temps were cold. Heading up SR 39, I had zero use of my fingers. It was a good 20 miles up toward Monte before I could do anything with my fingers at all. Several places I could see my breath. The right shifter was delayed from it being so cold. No arm or leg warmers today, just the simple Lycor kit. Rolled out with the nearly full moon just setting behind Ben Lomond Peak - kind of cool.
I setup my RXL wheelset last night, with some R3 700 X 25 Bontragers and a 11-28 cassette. As the day wore on the shifting cables stretched, making proper indexing next to impossible (thus the visit to the bike shop). The RXLs are considerably heavier than the DT Swiss, but they are much faster in the descents and flats. They don't buck the wind, and actually make the wind a force to be reckoned with. Going into Woodruff the wheels were a tab bit faster than the DTs, but also a little more unstable. The loss of overall speed comes from having to use brakes in curves, as I'm not use to how they handle. On the way back, they were a little easier to predict, albeit the wind was far worse than in the morning. When coming over the shoulders (the top of Monte - see the elevation graph from last week), you hit MP 44 going west. From that point, it is pretty much WFO for the next 12 - 14 miles. As I was passing MP 44, I gassed it hitting 46 MPH right away. Initially the bike felt a little funny and wasn't sure if I had the confidence to let it out. Crossing over Little Monte, it sure didn't feel as stable as the DT's but I was also flying a bit faster. The curves felt really good and took most of them with the brakes wide open. By the time I went through the snowmobile parking area and Ant Flat road, it was wide open with complete confidence - wind and all. The biggest difference with the RXL wheel set (aside from the bearings) are the bladed spokes. Fewer than the DTs with a bladed configuration, that acts like a wing as the air passes over the wheel - maybe more like a vertical rudder. Still, as the air flow passes over the wheels, across the spokes and the bike itself, it can create some interesting dynamic characteristics. Add any side wind and it can be.....an adventure. Still, I have used the RXLs for many years and the DTs for only a few. We'll see what the conditions are like just before race day, but either way, one set will be on the bike, with the other in the truck as the backup.
Most metrics today were met satisfactorily. The morning segment was better than the afternoon, as I was able to stay in the big ring upfront further than ever before. The mistake today was giving up time too easily. Dropping the bike at the shop was not in the plans, but after the shifting problems in the second half of the day, definitely a requirement. Power to weight ratio is okay, but the VO2 max is still not where I want to be. Perhaps the most significant deficiency is in posture fatigue. This is contributing to overall threshold issues. At this point, I am where I am.
The next few days will be more dirt than road. I will run the bike after it gets out of the shop, and then include a fast tempo ride Wednesday evening (less than 40 miles). Spin bike to keep things moving in the right directions. Nervous - as usual.
MP 44
Whenever I pass MP 44 going up, I know I'm on the shoulders and will soon be flying. Coming down, I know I'm on the way home.
Well, that is what's left of MP 44, but if you've been following this blog in past years, you know what that means.......... Bring it on Home!
Who can't appreciate a mic'd up Les Paul Custom with a Floyd Rose tremolo?
Stick around, some really good stuff is yet to come........
Ride HARD!
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