Saturday morning was a team/group ride out to the West Co. hills. Several teammates showed up, as did a few potentially new teammates. The idea was to ride several climbs, but to do them in a no-drop fashion, with some good tempo riding in between. Since this was my ride and route, and most didn't know the route, I found myself rotating to the front to yell out directions and then circling to the back to ensure everyone made it through the various turns and terrain. The route was:
Einstein's on Clayton at 141
Clayton west
R on Valley to Strecker
L on Shepard
R on Orrville
R on Eatherton
L on WHC
R on Ossenfort
Cross T
R on Melrose
L on Bouquet
L on Manchester
Cross 100
Continue on Fox Creek
L on Six Flags-Allenton
L on Melrose
R on 100
R on Woodlands Meadows (tackle the 24% beast)
R on Manchester
R on Glencoe (through Rockwoods)
L on Woods
L on Manchester
R on 109
R on Clayton to Einstein's
Everyone had a good time and put in a relatively good effort. The 24% gradient on Woodlands Meadows certainly humbled some on the ride and left them shaking their heads in amazement. Jim Moore actually spun his rear wheel almost a full revolution when he pedaled over a wet patch of road sealant while tackling the climb. Looked like a dragster doing a burnout. The good news is he completed the climb!
My legs continue to come around nicely and I should be back in shape for some racing starting next month. This week will be another round of recovery loops in the valley with some weight-lifting and a few spin ups thrown in for good measure.
After church on Sunday, we took our son to lunch and then off to church camp. There were some logistical issues with the busses not arriving for the campers, so at the last minute I decided to drive him up to Carlinville, IL for camp. That put me on the road for 3 hours but in the end I think he enjoyed getting a little time with me and the chance to take a nap on the way.
God was certainly providing for me as I was able to drop him off and make it back to our church just in time to see the start of Drama Night. Members of our youth group (including my daughter) worked the past week to put together vignettes from 4 Broadway plays. They did a remarkable job and it was a funny way to unwind from impromptu travels.
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Rants, raves, and inspirations from a recovering fat guy inspired by his wife, led by God, and given a new life through a bicycle.
6 comments:
I was following in your footsteps. I did almost exactly this loop solo later on Saturday afternoon. Great googly-moogly, was it ever hot.
Classic route! Kudos for leading a "no drop" ride onto Woodland Meadows - I'd be afraid that I, myself, couldn't make the climb.
Nice!! woodland meadows is super steep. Looks like you nailed alot of the other big hills out there too. Hopefully we can stay dry for Thurs night, see you then.
how many miles was that ride?
Carumba that's quite a loop! How long did it end up taking?
LC
There. Mapped that for ya:
http://tinyurl.com/5kfcqc
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