Good morning!
Unfortunately, the hotel (a new Fairfield Inn) had some "complications" and they cancelled reservations for some of our party, who had to find another place to stay. Other than that, we had a nice (and windy) ride!
In all, there were 16 of my friends riding Saturday!
We met at the fairgrounds where the ride began. Some of them had never ridden an organized ride or even the 71 mile distance, so were nervous.
It had rained earlier in the morning, so the pavement was wet (I'm not a fan of riding on wet pavement) and the area to the sides of the pavement were muddy. Even so, the conditions didn't seem to bring anyone down. The organizers were trying to be cognizant of the COVID distancing requirement, so had a "rolling start". All riders, no mater the distance just jumped in and started pedaling. This part was the only "disorganized" part of the event.
They organizers had Police at every intersection, stopping traffic and allowing cyclists priority! They had fully stocked and manned rest stops about every 10 miles or so, with plenty of water, Gatorade, Pickle Juice, Pickles, fruits, Peanut Butter, etc. There were kids and teens cheering at each rest stop!
Everyone was super friendly!
When we got on the main road, I noticed a lot of folks with flats. There was a lot of debris on the side of the road, so I rode close to the white line, rather further toward the shoulder (except when I saw a vehicle approaching from the rear).
This was one of the only cycling events that has actually happened in the State of Texas since last year, so it was well attended! I expected something like 400 or 500 riders, but over 1,200 riders turned out!
Once on the road, I was feeling pretty good. I attempted to stay with one of the faster riders in our group, but he was falling back because of the headwind and I decided to ride more my own pace quickly dropping him. In fact, I was moving through groups of cyclists. I heard comments about my bike being electric or power assisted and that it shouldn't be allowed... When I would get to a rest stop, some would approach me and ask if it was indeed electric. They thought the moose pack in the frame was a battery! When they realized it wasn't, they asked how I was able to maintain such high speeds especially with all the wind. I explained that it was more aerodynamic than their bikes, so the wind didn't have as much as an affect on me. I did see one Bacchetta owner lay his bike down as he was stopping at a rest stop. I had talked to him before the ride. He was a very nice guy who said he's ridden this particular ride a number of times.
I had riders chase me down and try to overtake me, but not one did Saturday! I did have one cyclist catch me after I passed him, but he couldn't overtake me. He tried to stay on my wheel, but I didn't offer much of a draft. When I stopped at one rest stop coming back on the loop, he was just coming to, I saw him coming. He stopped and I noticed thathe was on a Fixie bike! We chatted and I was impressed by his speed and endurance! At that point when he was chasing me, I was doing about 27mph! I guess he was in his 20s. His thighs were huge and his calf's were about the size of my thighs! He loved my bike and I told him a bit more about it, then we parted ways.
At about mile 40, I started getting leg cramps in my hamstrings and quads (I think I was a bit dehydrated). I drank pickle juice at a couple rest stops, but the leg cramps were persistent.
I was dreaming of the tailwinds on the return, but the wind kept shifting! Finally, toward the end of the ride, I was able to get some tailwind and I was relieved...
I definitely felt the lack of riding over the last couple months.
I did see more recumbents than I'm used to seeing at organized rides, but no other Cruzbikes!
There were plenty of Bacchettas and trikes.
We hung around until all of my riding buddies had retuned. I spoke to some Bacchetta owners who were pretty interested in the Vendetta, especially when I told them that I was previously a Bacchetta owner, but found my way over to Cruzbike. There were some hills on this ride, but they were mostly rolling hills, so I was able to power down hill and let my momentum carry up the other side.
We had BBQ Lunch provided by the organizers, then went back to the hotel for a quick shower.
It was a great time and I'm looking forward to more organized rides this year!
There's supposed to be a ride from McAllen Texas to San Antonio later this year. I believe it's 200 miles, so I need to get in shape before then.
Blessings,
DocS
