JOSEPHWEISSERT
Zen MBB Master
I went out on the July 4th LBS ride early this morning while the temps were still in the fifties (although it warmed up nicely during the ride). Lots of people attended - too many to count - it's a popular annual tradition. There was one guy on a recumbent with a huge, clear fairing - but he didn't last long. A lot of DF riders got blown off the back eventually, which is normal for a fast ride, but the group stayed large still because there were a lot of strong riders. On the rollers (there were many), I was slingshotting the hills just fine at high speed, except for one hill that kicked my butt, causing me to get passed by the entire group once - how embarrassing! 
(The heavy weight of the bike is still my nemesis.) They did a double pace line for quite a few miles on the return route, which I'm not allowed to participate in for obvious drafting reasons (because all of their bikes are handicappers), so I hung back with the gatekeepers (of which there were quite a few), stayed left, out in the wind, but sucked up just enough draft to allow me to stay with the large group going at high speed (25 - 30 mph). One rider experimented for a long while by trying to draft behind me - his opinion is that he got a 10% benefit, which is believable. At one point on some flats (before the more organized pace lines, when there was a lot more chaos in the front), there was some jockeying for position at some high speeds. I gave it everything and was able to pass the faster front riders at a little over 40 mph. That took some effort, but the road was smooth and there was very little, if any, wind. Later, it was really sketchy on the way back to the final sprint, with intermittent traffic, which we had to be careful of for safety (but we had a really nice shoulder and mostly smooth pavement). Then it was clear sailing toward the end, and it got really chaotic in the group. I got blocked in on the right as all remaining riders passed on my left - so I waited. Then, when it was clear, after being passed by everyone remaining, I swung out left and started fighting my way up front. I was hoping I didn't jump too early. There were two guys off the front, and they were not together - there was a considerable gap between #1 and #2 and also between #2 and the group. I got to the front of the group and then kept on going. I was hoping I wouldn't blow up, but my legs were handling the effort well. I was able to catch and pass the rider in the #2 position. This took a lot of effort because he was going fast, so I had to go faster to catch him. I considered drafting off of him, but I couldn't trust him to maintain that pace, so I passed #2 and started chasing #1. But #1 was too far out. I was gaining on him steadily, but I just couldn't get to him before the stop ahead sign. I needed a little more distance, which wasn't there. So I ended up only getting second place and rode over 70 miles. Good enough for a smelly old recumbent rider.
(The heavy weight of the bike is still my nemesis.) They did a double pace line for quite a few miles on the return route, which I'm not allowed to participate in for obvious drafting reasons (because all of their bikes are handicappers), so I hung back with the gatekeepers (of which there were quite a few), stayed left, out in the wind, but sucked up just enough draft to allow me to stay with the large group going at high speed (25 - 30 mph). One rider experimented for a long while by trying to draft behind me - his opinion is that he got a 10% benefit, which is believable. At one point on some flats (before the more organized pace lines, when there was a lot more chaos in the front), there was some jockeying for position at some high speeds. I gave it everything and was able to pass the faster front riders at a little over 40 mph. That took some effort, but the road was smooth and there was very little, if any, wind. Later, it was really sketchy on the way back to the final sprint, with intermittent traffic, which we had to be careful of for safety (but we had a really nice shoulder and mostly smooth pavement). Then it was clear sailing toward the end, and it got really chaotic in the group. I got blocked in on the right as all remaining riders passed on my left - so I waited. Then, when it was clear, after being passed by everyone remaining, I swung out left and started fighting my way up front. I was hoping I didn't jump too early. There were two guys off the front, and they were not together - there was a considerable gap between #1 and #2 and also between #2 and the group. I got to the front of the group and then kept on going. I was hoping I wouldn't blow up, but my legs were handling the effort well. I was able to catch and pass the rider in the #2 position. This took a lot of effort because he was going fast, so I had to go faster to catch him. I considered drafting off of him, but I couldn't trust him to maintain that pace, so I passed #2 and started chasing #1. But #1 was too far out. I was gaining on him steadily, but I just couldn't get to him before the stop ahead sign. I needed a little more distance, which wasn't there. So I ended up only getting second place and rode over 70 miles. Good enough for a smelly old recumbent rider. 
