velogogo

i am not sure what the split was but most people decided to go long today. up through the ‘steps’ and the 172 climb, it was nothing but good times. the pack was full on long/slow winter miles mode and jordan & co. did a fantastic pace-setting job to keep the group together. i  was told the pace in the second half of the ride was actually faster than it’s been for the last few weeks but i was just glad to be tucked away in the middle of the pack instead of taking the shortcut or getting my ass dropped on 22.

with his pulling assignments now behind him, jordan started to animate the ride. after going for the 1st sprint at full-bore he still had the legs to attack us up the hill right afterwards. few of us worked together to make sure we keep him at a distance we knew we could close. when we were all back together again, he attacked us again over the poggio, this time with the toga dude. 

i was spent by this point and with no hopes for leading out brian or will i tried to burn through my reserve and see if i could bring them back. the answer? not even remotely close. if anything, the duo gained more grounds on the pack. totally dejected i swung off and watched abdul taking charge of the chase. i think they were brought back near the top of the first hump. i am not sure who won the sprint today.

ps: although i didn’t recognize him the whole ride, usi’s own barry miller was in attendance on the long ride. it’s funny. no matter how many years pass by, he will still be remembered as that quiet and mild-mannered kid who came out on the ride with his dad. and it makes me wonder… how am i remembered by others? 

it happened again this morning. i forgot which foot i clip in first. has it been that long? 2 weeks? 3 weeks? if i go any longer than that i think i may not even able to remember my name. hang on…

sox. check.

we had a healthy turn out for this time of the year with snow still on the ground. about 40 of us headed up the central park ave. wondering if the flakes coming down will pick up steam or hide behind clouds. even with the wind, it was obvious this was not a cold day. the way i can always tell is how easy/difficult it is to have a conversation on the bike without slurring your speech from the cold. for instance, this morning goody asked “seriously now, who’s the handsomest, most powerful rider you’ve ever seen on the gimbel’s ride?” without hesitation, i answered “that would be you, mac daddy”.

the regular ride had about 20 riders. the pace was simply awesome today. fast enough to feel like we’re still getting a workout while being slow enough to keep the group together. even eugene behaved himself today.

robert and his brother in law from out of town did most of the pace-making work. the rest of us were exemplary in calling out the cars, freshly dug potholes and ice on the corners. it was downright pleasant - exactly what i was looking for after weeks of inactivity.

pretty much the only move of the day came from robert over the poggio. he had a good looking 50 yard gap on us but got betrayed by the last traffic light. when we all came back together, all i could manage was to just sit in and finish with the pack.

eugene won the first sprint and brian took home the final sprint award.