Johnson Creek Loop returning on Delphi Rd
Total Time: 3hrs 17min
Total Distance: 59.25miles
Ave Speed: 18.10mph
Today I was able to get out for the team ride starting from The Valley. A large group assembled with a good mix of riders, some of whom I hadn’t seen since October for our Meet the Team ride. Most of them, however, are part of the core of the team that make the rides every time. So far, I’ve had a flakey start. (Kinda like a lawn mower that doesn’t start for the first time in the spring and blows out a little too much black smoke when it does.)
Our ride worked a bit like a caterpillar for a while as the group tried to find a decent pace for all, which is nearly an impossible task, given that the group does have varying levels of fitness and ranges of what constitutes Zone 1-2. My favorite part of the ride was when a small group of us stopped for a minor mechanical. Suddenly I looked around and discovered that I was surrounded by Cat 1-2s and another rider who has quads as big as both of mine put together. Hmm, I thought, where’s my bungie cord. There were 5 of us to bridge back up to the main group. Since this was less than halfway through the ride, I sure wasn’t looking forward to breaking the bank too early. As it turned out, though, our trip back up was speedy and lots of fun, even though I wasn’t exactly planning on pushing my heartrate up so high. Oh, well. Good times!
Not long after, we came up through Millersylvania St. Park and the choice to go straight up Tilly to Olympia or take the turn towards Delphi/Black Lake. Well, I chose the left turn, slowed down to about 10mph up the hill and finally made it over only to suffer a flat within about a minute of coming down the hill. Robbed by destiny? Nope, the flat was a welcomed reason to stop watching the rest of the group vanishing in the distance. I came up Little Rock Rd. and am now warm at home, already looking forward to riding with the group again next week.
Cheers, Andy
