Big Ring Climbing

Last night I drove to Mt Vernon for a Wednesday Night Ride. Yes I drove to a ride. I didn't want to ride with the fast group so i looked for and found some folks I'd ridden with previously. Grant and Jessica are summering here from Philly, but Grant is writing a paper so he's not in the shape he usually is during the summer. For a 64 year old guy he's strong. Jess is younger than him and is stronger than him at the moment. She has replaced her Spectrum Ti with a Campy Record equipped Fierte IT. We rode with a few others and kept the pace relativley easy for the first half of the 40 miles. South of Dalyville I stopped for a trio of women who were having bike issues. One was an Hasher I'm aquainted with and her Motobecane had tube problems. Everyone pressed on knowing I'd catch up. So after a quick repair I got on the gas. By Dalyville I'd caught them. There was some shenanigans on the last half a dozen hills when Grant, Jess and a guy on a Giant carbon started attacking. I did a few jumps to see what I had in the legs and was pleasantly surprised when I could bridge up without my heart rate getting above 150. On the last big trio of hills I decided to make them hurt so I attacked. The guy on the Giant was the only one to counter but on the last hill I whizzed by him on the Big Ring and he said "oh I give up" as I pulled away.

After the ride we did the usual post ride picnic and beer consumption.