January 02, 2005
CoyBoy Ride 5-Hills Loop
A peloton of friends rolled out of my neighborhood at noon and met the CoyBoys, Doug, Dean and Matt at the top of Sunny Hill Road. Riding with us today was David and Bonnie on the tandem, Carlos, Wojtek, Ernie, Shari, Nancy and Tracy. Theron was dressed and ready but called at the last minute saying he had to pass on this event.
Photos - CoyBoy Ride - 5-Hills Loop
Matt threw down the gauntlet and took the first county line sprint. Matt also tried to lead the way down the 50 mph descent of Capitola Farm Road, but the tandem team of Dave and Bonnie had a distinct advantage.
Carlos must have been feeling inspired because he was hammering up the big climbs, but couldn't quite hold off the hard-charging Matt and Tracy. Wojtek was attacking the climbs in his big ring and muscling to the tops with raw power. Ernie was riding strong and Shari rode smart using her perfect spin to conquer the hills. Doug and Nancy never seemed to be in too much difficulty, but it looked like the pace on the climbs was taking a toll on Dean today.
After the first three major hills and two county lines (I took the second sprint uncontested), the peloton swung into the parking lot of the Addictive Cycle Bike Shop for a quick peek, but Doug and Dean headed on down the road to get a bit of a lead. Matt took off solo and bridged up. Dean decided to skip the final few climbs and took the shortcut home. At that moment I went back to find the tandem team which had been delayed by traffic, and asked the group to wait for a moment. When I returned with Dave and Bonnie, the group had disappeared. They apparently saw Dean, who was taking the shortcut, and did not see the turn that Doug and Matt had taken, so they followed Dean. I called Matt on the cell phone and asked for him and Doug to wait while I rounded up the misguided group.
Finally back together we did the big climb up Boss Hardy Road and Flanagan Mill Road. Next, Matt and Tracy lead the group down a "Georgia pavé" road to Cronic Town Road. At this point an enthusiastic young dog started running along side the pack of riders and was able to stay with us for well over a mile as we climbed away from the Little Mulberry River toward Pool Mountain.
The old time GTC riders knew the final county line sprint on Wages Road well. Dave, the captain of the tandem, was aware the downhill sprint would favor him so he moved toward the front and got into position. I knew before the downhill was a substantial little rise, so seeing Matt cuing up on my wheel, I employed the feisty little Tracy to be my lead-out woman. On my cue she cranked it up and the tandem responded running right alongside her. Dave and Bonnie kicked it into a bigger gear and took the advantage as Tracy faded. I switched from Tracy's wheel to the tandem's wheel. I was behind the tandem on the downhill but Tracy's pace on the rise had put Dave and Bonnie at their limit, so they didn't have quite enough left to hold me off as I came around them at the line. Matt took a close third in the high-speed skirmish.
Finally we all settled down and eased on back to my crib, dropping off Matt and Doug at their neighborhood. Everyone had a good hard workout and a lot of fun. I am lucky to have so many good friends who will come out and play with me when I call. Thanks all!
