Saturday, March 25, 2006

86 In the Bank

As opposed to 86ing the bank, but I digress! The morning started out cool 32 degrees so rather than freeze my tuckus(Oy vei - my Yidish spelling!) I layered for the extreme. It quickly warmed up! By 9:00 AM it was already in the 50s. My black gloves were just holding in that heat. I had just ridden out to the start of another http://www.sawheelmen.com ride. Lots of folks doing the 51 miler. I started with them - always the optimist! (In my defense I didn't go buy the team jersey until I could sustain the effort for the full 51 with the fast group and although that day we did a lot at 24 MPH my average for that day was still only 16 something. Oh Well!). I got dropped today in the first six miles. Man that sucks!

So then I hooked up with almost a time trial team all we needed was one more rider. If we had caught up to the tall lady that smoked me after getting dropped by the first group we would have had a full complement, but alas! Anyway, I pulled a couple of times with that group and kept jumping off the gap. Not good, I tend to do that with Cycle-Logic http://www.cyclelogic.net also (try the video tour - you can take control of the camera in the shop and like zoom in on the Airbornes, Calois, KHSs and blah blah blah it's fun!).

So then, we hit some rollers and it's too much for me. I actually redlined it!

(Aside: Did I mention that on Thursday I had been matched with a cancer patient for transfusion that was coming up Friday? I gave a full complement of platelets Thursday Night - rush donation. All of this came up within two days and it was my honor to be matched perfectly. Moral of this little story is donate and get registered for the bone marrow registry.)

Now that little aside was to give again an experiment of one and your mileage may vary (YMMV) the reason for the redlining is that I'm not all the way recovered from the blood letting. Some times it affects me a lot and sometimes it affects me very little. Today it was a lot! I even got nauseated, don't tell my wife. She'll kick my tuckus (sp?) I got nauseated towards the end of the 86, but at that point I think it was a hydration issue, but then the whole platelet thing is a hydration issue, but I ramble.

So, the better part of valor I slacked off from the paceline and proceeded to ride my own ride. At the halfway stop, or is the 1/3 of the way stop? I don't know, but in the beautiful river town of McQueeney, Texas. I took my time stowed all my outer layers. Ate some goomies standard fare of peanuts and sugar-orange slices downed some rocksalt to keep the cramp monster away, starbucks frappuccino, and two gatorades one to slug and one to put on the bike. I make my way!

I come to the two thirds stop at the Bakery/Cafe/Gas station/feed store/curmugeon hangout in the lovely little town of New Berlin (pronounced burlun not Berlin) and low and behold back behind the huge above ground Gas Storage tank there was the paceline that I got dropped from. Hum! I'm thinking! Did they fake something again to boost my self-esteem? (Earlier they said they were faking looking at the map to see where they were going, but their real reason was so that I could catch up to them. Nope, they almost went all the way to China Grove (of Doobies Fame "Woh, oh China Grove!" "Sleepy little town down around San Antone"). Oops! Lucky me, I thought I was going to be "Just a poor wayfarin' stranger" alone. But company, I thrive in company!!!

So I quickly got a Yoohoo http://www.drinkyoo-hoo.com no Starbucks Frappuccinos out in New Berlin and a gatorade and downed the yoo-hoo and got back on the bike to catch up with the paceline that was quickly taking-off.

I caught up quickly and started leading! Took a couple of tricky turns with them and then left them in the dust for a while. Then I slowed down for a questionable turn that they showed me and then again I smoked them. No bragging, these guys normally hammer and kick my butt regularly. Maybe they gave platelets Thursday night also? Nah! I smoked 'em!

Back in the town of Cibolo I hit 70 in 4:30 hours and averaging 15.4 and then proceeded home after refueling at a neighborhood Chevron because by then I was out of bike money (money used for goomies along the way). Checked in with my better half since by then it was already 1:00 PM no biggie one hour to toddle home and I did so.

I mentioned earlier to one of the guys too bad we can't get paid like normal and ride the hours that we work instead of getting paid for our work and ride when we can. They said it doesn't work that way! Once a dreamer always a dreamer...au revoir!

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