Poaching Vs Pirating

Over the years I'd done both. I've thought of "pirating" as something I've done when I've attended a ride/tour/event that asked for an entry fee in return for their hard work setting up rest stops along public roads I was already using. I generally provided my own food and water and didn't take their chopped bananas or heavily sugared sport drink.

Poaching I have done without shame or hesitation. When I've had my fitness up to a respectable level I never had a second thought about making less fit riders suffer in a criterium or making tactical decisions to make breaks or bridge up to existing breaks or to win sprints and primes.


Don't let the profile fool you, this was a flat ride.
So yesterday evening I did the WNBR from Marshall. After starting with the slower (non-racer type) riders I realized the fast group was just up the road. They weren't going all that fast because I was able to put my head down and catch them after 8 miles or so.

This is a paceline?After turning away from Lake Mills two guys turned up the heat on County G and gapped the remaining 8 of us by about 400 meters. Nobody wanted to chase so I took a long turn and tried to get the group to work. Nobody would pull through so I took a minute at the back to recover and then I jumped them. I bridged to the pair up the road but it hurt. A couple of miles later they were dropping me on a series of rollers but I still had enough to catch them on the downhills and flats. The downhill sprint for the Waterloo city limit sign was comical. The first guy thought 30 would be fast enough and the second guy tried coming around weakly at maybe 34. I took the sprint easily with the Avocet showing 45 and they were several bike lengths back. The sad thing was I was done for the day. After rolling past the Trek factory and the row upon row of demo bikes for the dealer show I had nothing for the last two hills. I was dropped and shortly I was caught by the group I'd left earlier. I got no pity from them as they didn't slow enough for me to get on the back and I rode the last 3 miles solo.

Afterwards everyone hung out in the parking lot and had "adult recovery drinks." I left my cooler unattended for a few minutes and some pond scum used it as a recycling drop-off.

Today I plan on a lake loop this morning and the Thursday Night Ride in Black Earth. Shit, that will have actual hills.

Oh, someone mentioned that the Dairyland Dare is this weekend. I used to use some of those roads for training when I live there in 1981-2 so I'm not afraid of a lot of climbing. Though I see they want $75 for an entry fee. Argh matey, I think I'll do a ride this weekend.