The wheelsucker is an old man and needs his sleep, but his current employment conspires to limit it. The wheelsucker was a tired, frustrated and stressed IT worker after being woken up for a work call at 12:30AM and working for two hours before going back to bed, and then putting in a full day at the office. One would think that working during the night would be a) exceptional and b) entitle one to take a few hours off the next day. Neither appears to be true.
In any case, a tired, and stressed wheelsucker was very much looking forward to the Thursday training ride, IF he could get off work in time.
It was a near-thing, but the wheelsucker made it before the smallish peleton rolled out of the Park & Ride. Being careful, the wheelsucker ALWAYS considers who is on the ride to assess how hard it will be and what the risks might be. This ride looked OK, as the obvious “strong men” were Ace McDermott, and Matt from AABC. While warming up, the group discussed keeping the group together by riding easy when necessary, so stragglers were not left by themselves as dark fell. This was sounding promising to the wheelsucker! None-the-less, the wheelsucker rode at the back, warmed up slowly and conserved energy as best he could. The trouble with riding at the back is that sometimes “the devil takes the hindmost”, and sure enough, at the left from Patuxent Parkway onto Queen Anne Bridge Road, an oncoming right-of-way car caused Stu Waring and the wheelsucker to slow to wait for the car to pass, while the peleton rolled up QABR.. But this was a both aware and friendly driver -- apparently quite rare in these parts -- and he waved them across. The wheelsucker decided that he needed to move up on the peleton, and surged forward catching and then passing the main group and then catching a group of three slightly off the front, just as QABR pitched up a little. For a brief moment the wheelsucker was in danger of actually LEADING the peleton, but he quickly established himself behind Ted Harris, who pulled all the way up QABR, and pulled off at the turn onto Wayson Road, leaving the wheelsucker at the front unprotected. While you may be concerned with the wheelsucker’s predicament, the wheelsucker was not, because knowing the Tuesday/Thursday route VERY well, he knew that pulling downhill on Wayson Road was about the easiest part of the ride. The trick is to not be tired and out of breath when you get to the two rollers! So the wheelsucker did his fast-but-easy pull all the way to the rollers, and even led up the first roller, before Matt from AABC went hammering by. “Damn all young and stronger riders!”, thought the wheelsucker to himself. Then several more riders went by including some who were older than the wheelsucker. The wheelsucker did what wheelsuckers do best, grabbed a wheel and hung on. The second roller is easier, and the wheelsucker was still near the front of the group at the top, with AABC Matt slightly off the front. It turns out that the wheelsucker and his lightest CAAD9-in-the-world go downhill quite well, and the wheelsucker coasted past a couple of riders before slowing for the turn onto Harwood. The pressure was off, as the group had caught Matt. The climb up Harwood was looking good for a conservative wheelsucker until Matt went AGAIN. Now if there is one thing the wheelsucker cannot stand it is … well, maybe if there are TWO things the wheelsucker cannot stand, they are a) being dropped and b) someone from another team beating up on a Tuesday/Thursday training ride. The wheelsucker would be DAMNED if the only rider not wearing Latitude kit was going to ride off the front…. The wheelsucker grabbed a wheel after the top of Harwood, caught his breath, and then when it was his turn to pull he PUT THE HAMMER DOWN! Well, put the hammer down for the wheelsucker; you may not have actually noticed. But slowly, imperceptibly, the wheelsucker’s pace increased, along with the group behind him, and they reeled in the offending Matt shortly before route 2. The pace was fast down route 2, and at the false flat a couple or riders finally shook loose, but the peleton slowed after turning onto Harwood so they could catch back on. Steve Owens was riding his TT bike and was taking LOOOONG pulls. Matt went AGAIN on one of the rollers on Bayard, but Steve stepped it up and the group caught him. Matt has an annoying habit of falling back and then just riding alongside instead of grabbing a wheel. The wheelsucker wishes he were strong enough to do that. Matt’s move made the wheelsucker remember the workout description from his coach.
Group ride. Ride how you feel today: If tired, sit in at CP90-CP180; if fresh, ride race effort. Be smart.
The wheelsucker thought it would be smart to attack on a hill, now that Steve had been pulling for at least 5 minutes and had had to chase Matt down, and the pace was slowing. So the wheelsucker jumped hard at the bottom of the next climb, stood in the pedals, and HAMMERED (well, hammered for the wheelsucker) to the top of the hill, and then breathing hard, pushed hard down the other side. The wheelsucker was just starting to enjoy his mental image of him off the front, when to his shock, surprise and horror, he realized:
a) he was spent
b) Ace, Aaron, Matt, Steve and Tom had caught him and were on his wheel
c) that they were doing 36 mph and there was no way the wheelsucker was going to catch the last wheel!
The wheelsucker watched them roll away and looked around for help. The next two riders went by too fast for him to get on, but he managed to speed it up, gradually catch one of them, and then as the leaders sat up, caught on. It was a near thing!
What was impressive was that most of the riders, including the amazing Amanda Wu, Alex Pline and Ted Harris, were sticking with the lead group.
After lots of wheelsucking for the last bit of Bayard and most of Sands road (with one good pull on a false flat that the wheelsucker was quite proud of), the group came to the dip and climb before the left turn onto Pautuxtent Parkway. Having quite forgotten what happened the last time he went, the wheelsucker drafted down the hill and part way up the other side while Matt exerted himself at the front. Then the wheelsucker jumped HARD (well, hard for the wheelsucker) and sprinted for the top of the hill. He won the sprint (probably because no one else was sprinting) and then slowed for the left turn, while Ace and Matt cut the corner and started hammering down Patuxent Parkway. A frustrated wheelsucker coasted down the hill as the gap opened, waiting for help. And help finally arrived when the strong and youthful (well, youthful compared to the wheelsucker) Stu Waring decided he was going to heroically close the gap to the leaders, which he did, with the wheelsucker glued to his rear wheel. The wheelsucker cut inside Stu at the right turn at the bottom of the hill and then passed Ace and Matt when Ace sat up. Thinking he was being given a gift, the wheelsucker tried to pace himself up the climb, was doing fine, and then stood for the steeper part at the top. Just about then Ace with, whoa, WTF? Alex Pline, stuck on his wheel, pushed the pace, and the wheelsucker could not get on, and watched as more of the group flew by. Once again looking for help the wheelsucker found a wheel, hung on, and then let himself be towed up to the leaders. The light at 214 turned green as the lead group approached and they all hammered through. The wheelsucker carefully sat up and got to the back of the line. The pace was high from 214 to the finish, and the wheelsucker was unable to avoid taking a pull or two, so did his usual short-and-fast pull.
Shortly before the finish Ace took a pull and as he was sliding back on the left, motioned to the wheelsucker to open a gap so Ace could jump in. Always ready to let a strong rider in ahead of him, the wheelsucker agreeably opened a gap. Ace motioned to his rear wheel. Any wheelsucker understands an invitation to grab a wheel, so the wheelsucker clamped himself remora-like to Ace’s rear wheel. Ace was third wheel on the last dip, behind the hard working duo of Stu Waring and Alex Pline, and at the start of the false flat/climb to the finish with the wheelsucker still clamped to his rear wheel. Stu and Alex's leadout work done, Ace shifted into a bigger gear and did that amazing Ace move of inexorably accelerating in a big gear. The wheelsucker was spinning hard to stay on his wheel and then realized to his horror that he was going to lose Ace’s wheel! The wheelsucker, desperate to hold on, stood up and pedaled HARD (well, hard for the wheelsucker) and somehow stayed on Ace’s wheel, while Ace checked now and then to make sure he had not lost the wheelsucker. Meanwhile Matt, the only one on the ride not in Latitude kit, was on the wheelsucker’s wheel. Ace was going 30mph (as reported later) toward the finish with the wheelsucker holding on for grim death. No one else could hold the pace, so the three sped for the line by themselves. Then just before the line, Ace flicked his elbow and pulled off, and to make sure the wheelsucker could get by before the line, sat up and probably braked. The wheelsucker was giving it all the 450 watts or so he had and slid by, while Matt tried to go around him, and Ace yelling encouragement to the wheelsucker. Matt was now overlapped to the left and gaining fast, but Ace had timed it perfectly and Matt did not have the time or distance to go by. The wheelsucker did his best imitation of throwing his bike across the line like the real pro sprinters do, and crossed first, with Matt half a bike length back.
What a TRIUMPH this was, but not really for the wheelsucker. It was Ace’s triumph for setting it up and pulling off so late Matt did not have time to go around the wheelsucker.
The wheelsucker was so spent he was barely able to stay on his bike and pedal up the bump to the Governor Bridge road intersection.
Matt quickly caught his breath and pounded his way up the hill towards 424, while the wheelsucker working with Tom Aga and Steve Owens tried to reel him back. Just before reaching 424, the wheelsucker (riding third wheel most of the way up) went around them and managed to catch Matt who was now coasting down 424 to the Park & Ride.
From first crossing the start line back to the finish line: 01:01:51, 212 watts, 24.36 mph, 144bpm.
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