Where Oh Where did the Peloton Go?

This Ride: 41.4 mi
Kona Miles: 1238.8 mi
Month to date: 516.2 mi  <– This is a first!  First month over 500 miles.
2010 Total: 1672.8 mi

I was looking forward to riding with the Tuesday evening ride.  The weather was on the warm side, but bright skies with no real threat of any rain.  It was the perfect day.  I got to the Rusty Bridge a little early, so I went up the trail to the wash out.  They put a gate up!  I guess we are not going to see a fix any time soon.  Back to the bridge, and with each approaching cyclist, I look to see if I recognized the rider.  At about 5:05 the peloton was ready to go … that is, I started out solo, and was solo the entire ride.  Hey SPP folks, you missed a great evening to ride!

I had planned to take whatever route the experienced people in the group suggested, but since I was it, I decided on the Sandy Point – St. Margaret’s Route.  I was a little frustrated getting on to College Parkway.  The sensor in the road didn’t recognize that a bike was waiting and the car behind me was giving too much room to trip the sensor.  I finally blew through a red light and invoked the ire of the first of many drivers tonight.  They were not very accommodating.  At least there were no outright hostilities.

Paralleling Hwy 50 toward Sandy Point, I was able to average 19.4 mph for a 5 mile stretch.  That felt pretty good.  I went into the park, and stopped for just a few minutes to take in the view.  On to St. Margaret’s and at the end, instead of closing the loop and returning via Hwy 2 to the south end of the trail, I decided to head back the way I came.  On St. Margaret’s I thought I made a wrong turn because suddenly I saw a church and a graveyard I’d never seen before.  I was now on a downhill leg, and every other time had been struggling up the hill.  I had to laugh.  Back to the park, and tried my first Hammer Gel.  I think I like the fig newtons better, but this did go down easy.  Apple/Cinnamon.

My rear derailleur cable was stretching some, and I had trouble adjusting it.  I’ll work on it tomorrow.  The remainder of the ride was uneventful, although I was very conscious of the fact that  the sun was low in the sky and in the eyes of the drivers behind me.  I made sure I was both visible and careful.

All in all, a nice ride, a nice steady pace, and again, members of the SPP missed a great time.