The wheelsucker cannot remember the last time he rode 60 miles. Certainly last winter, but there have been few MABRA road races this past season, and few long training rides since last winter. The last few races were crits or time trials, the first typically under an hour, while the Deep Blue TT was only a 25 minute ride. This has left the wheelsucker ill prepared to deal with the rigors of a Latitude Saturday training ride.
A wheelsucker firmly in off season, who had not ridden 60 miles in some time, pedaled out of the Davidsonville Park & Ride on a cool morning, not feeling super strong. While Ace, Doetsch and Keith were not there, Ryan Guttridge, Tom MacKay, a strong rider from Florida, and Mike Wagner were part of the large group of (mostly Latitude/ABRT) riders.
Overall it was not a super fast pace, but it was fast in places, with times when the wheelsucker was hard pressed to hold a wheel (frequently when Ryan, who must not have gotten the e-mail about it being off season, was taking a pull).
The lead group had shrunk substantially by the time it re-crossed 214. Some riders had turned around at the rest stop; others may have been strewn through south county. A suffering wheelsucker was still with the lead group; he was impressed with how well Ted Harris and Alex Pline were riding.
Ryan did lead out; a number of riders started sprinting early. The wheelsucker was doing what he does best, wheelsucking at the back, as the group approached the sprint. He moved up a few places just before and during the last downhill. Riders started winding it up early, and the wheelsucker gratefully moved over behind the sprinters and rode the entire way to the finish line, wheelsucking, or at least shielded from the breeze. The wheelsucker believes that the Florida rider won the sprint, with the wheelsucker overtaking several sprinters who went too early and sat up before the finish, to cross 3rd.
The guy from Florida is named Andy. He'll be around for another week before he heads home. Hopefully my wheel will last longer than Ed Prout road next week. I had two spokes let go on the non-drive side of the rear wheel and they were next to each other. There was no way to fix it other than to take it apart on the side of the road and rearranging a couple of spokes so I could get enough true to where it wasnt rubbing anything. I got it rideable and made it back to the Park & Ride. Once I got home, I put new spokes in and got it back together.
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