Ridin' with Serge

5:55, late again. Quick walk for the doggies and off on the bike. Thursday is an early ride since we go further. It is also fast. I knew I wouldn't mee the group at the meeting area so I decided to try and meet them at the normal turnaround. I am all ready leaving 10 minutes after they have met and it takes me 15 minutes just to get there. Now I am down 25 and they are going to have at least 5 guys that can really motor. Time trial...

So riding to the meeting area is used for warm-up. As I approach the meeting area there is a large congregation of Entergy vehicles, and they are all parked on the levee. Not going to get them to move so off in the grass. Back on the levee after a minute and psst...psst...psst.. Crap! Flat tire. Now I have something else to worry about, only been riding 20 minutes and I am using my spare. I find the piece of rock embedded in my tire and use my last CO2 cartridge. I hope I don't get another flat since I am on the way out. Letting faith take its course.

Now I am looking for anything that may cause a flat. Enough of that, there is a nasty headwind I am facing alone. No help. So down on the bars, well no time trial bars just resting my forearms on top of the handlebars. Uugh, my legs are tired from yesterday. Just trying to maintain 20. I am doing pretty well but it's another 10 miles to the normal turnaround. I keep repeating to myself, just do circles and keep your rpms up.

Finally get the to the turnaround an I have beaten the group on their return trip. Bonus time before I turn around with the group. Not long and here they come... FAST! I make my u-turn and what a relief, tailwind. Or is it? They catch me and as the group begins to go by not many are saying much. This is fast. So I am looking for a place in the line and no one will let me in. Nice. I end up at the tail behind Justin. He didn't even know where I had come from. I think he may have been a little cross-eyed at that point.

All of a sudden I am jammin' on the pedals. Surge #1 for me and probably the 20th for the rest. I missed a hard one. It's not over yet. 30 seconds of really hard riding and then I am coasting. Maybe this isn't so bad. Then I am jammin' on the pedals again. Coasting. Jamming. This goes on for the next 10 miles and then the group begins to disintegrate. Guys in the middle of the pack are dropping back and guys in the back begin to pass. People everywhere and we haven't much room to manuver. I move through the group picking the safest line I can. Not much left in my tank but was glad I could keep up.

We finally shut it down and catch our breath for the next mile. Hard but fun. Found out we got up to 32 and I am sure we were around 27-28 for most of it. My speedomoter read 0. Need to fix that. I will be looking forward to riding with Sergio again next week. Always nice to hurt your self.