| Ride Stats |
|
Distance:
63.48 miles
|
Altitude Gain:
4,479 ft
|
Avg Speed:
16.53 mph
|
|
Route:
Tour de Greene
|
Avg Grade: 0 %
|
Max Grade: 0 %
|
|
Max HR: 157 bpm
|
Avg HR: 136 bpm
|
Terrain: Road: Hills
|
|
Bike: Look Blade RS 795 Iconic Ltd Road
|
Club: Schuyler County Cycling Club |
| Weather Conditions: Sunny 64 F N wind @ 1 mph |
|
Today's metric was in Stanardsville, VA in the foothills of the Shenandoah range. It is a tough rolling course with nineteen climbs most which are short but a few with some decent grade. Rode this course last year and it was one of my stronger efforts. Didn't plan on riding too hard as had a secondary mission. Joe was journeying up from SC with his crashed bike and new frame that I would take back to NY and rebuild before returning to NC for another metric next week. It was quite cool at the start with the temperature just reaching fifty at kick off time. There were probably a hundred or so riders for the mass start with seventy doing the metric. Got dropped on at the downhill start last year and though tried to prevent it again, I failed. Got caught in traffic and gapped. After the short downhill the biggest climb of the course starts with five miles of uphill at a slight grade to start and a short steep section to finish. There was a group of ten or so up the road and try as I might I couldn't bridge. Finally glanced at my computer and saw my watt meter wasn't reading. Last year it was the heart monitor that disconnected and this year it was watts. I had calibrated it at the start but it shut during the lineup and announcements. Not sure whether it timed out or kicked out due to interference from other nearby watt meters at the start. I slowed down and tried to get it back on line and calibrated. While playing with it a Joe and three others passed me. I joined them for a bit but then slowed down to finally successfully connect the meter. Once I got it I caught back up to Joe's group that was immediately passed by another group of ten riders. I hopped on the back and tried to hang on up the climb but got dropped on the final kicker after a mile or two. Joe's group wasn't able to hang on. Rode alone for a few miles without catching sight of either of the groups ahead and could hear a group not far behind as I was climbing some of the never ending hills. Other than the first hill there really wasn't any higher then two hundred feet. Caught a couple of lone riders and came up on a large group stopped alongside the road on a hill. It appears that there was a crash and one of the riders must have damaged his bike as he was on the phone contacting the sag. Kept riding and was some caught by one of the stopped riders. We traded pulls and were soon joined by the rest of the group. I had a strong pull into the first rest stop where I got some food and took a nature break. Joe rolled in a few minutes later and we left together. For most of the rest of the course, I rode with Joe and another young rider that was riding without a computer or cycling shoes but did have time trial bars. The youngster probably weighed less than one-hundred and ergo climbed fairly well. We went into a routine where the young one and I would contest the climbs and Joe would get dropped. Once at the top I would wait for Joe and we would work together and pull in the youngster. I was passed on one steep section by a group of eight that I was able to hang on to but after a mile or so I stopped and waited for Joe to catch up. We lost the youngster after the second stop we think do to the bonk as the young legs finally gave out. Joe started lagging over the last ten miles and released me to finish on my own. I chased down a couple of riders and almost caught another but lost my momentum over the last climb and just rolled in. Had a good ride with some decent climbing and a strong though failing effort at the start. Average was quite a bit slower than last year but some of it was waiting for Joe. That's a good excuse. Not sure I would have done better riding my own pace but got a good workout regardless. Had a sandwich at the finish before packing up bikes and frame and driving back to NY.
0 member views | 96 total views
report problem |
|
|
|
|
more...
