Why can't all August weekends be like this past one. If I didn't know better it seemed like a late September, maybe early October, day. The only difference being the high corn still rising six and seven feet high.
Aside from the atypical weather, our rides were pretty typical. The usual gang of four showed up in Columbia. Patrice was heading up to Downer's Grove so we kept it flat. I guess that is the reason why. Maybe not, since he was also only going to ride for a couple hours but he stayed with us all the way to Maeystown.
We put in some good, hard efforts and I was encouraged by the way I rode. A solid week of training yielded some dividends. My stamina was decent and my legs had a little jump unlike a couple weeks ago when I had no ambition to chase accelerations by the others.
The oddest part of the ride happened as we neared Maeystown. Dogs are not an uncommon sight on rides. However, not often do you have to take evasive action to avoid a rooster and chicken running out on the road.
Sunday's ride was a little different from the very start. I misunderstood the start time and Marco called, asking where I was. I was only about a mile away, ready to show up right on time, if only the ride was starting at 8:30.
The rest of the ride was disjointed and never had much flow to it. We started without a clear idea of where we were going and then ran across a couple damsels in distress. They waved us down and asked for help with M's flat tire. She and her friend were quite chatty even offering us candy and gum. Giuseppe took the initiative and began repairing the flat. A nice chunk of glass was still stuck in the tire and proved to be the culprit. A short 30 minutes later (just kidding, Giuseppe) the tire was fixed and we were on our way.
Once we got going again, Marco and I mostly followed Giuseppe and he kept the route vertical. I felt so-so on most of the climbs but chose not to push real hard up Romaine Creek. Later on, my rear tire was going flat at the top of Lonedell Rd. We got going again and I flatted again Richardson and Jeffco.
Oakville was next on the agenda as we descended Telegraph. We went up Becker and Giuseppe decided we needed to tackle Christopher, too. Wonderful. Again, I wasn't in the mood to push terribly hard. Eventually, we turned down Baumgartner where it was time for another flat. This time, Giuseppe was the victim. That was the end of our misfortune, thank goodness.
Giuseppe's efforts up the hills must have taken a toll because he started grumbling about the pace as we climbed Kerth and again up Dantonnaire. By then, I was out of the saddle, feeling pretty good and gave it a little dig. It was a satisfying end to the ride.
Aside from the atypical weather, our rides were pretty typical. The usual gang of four showed up in Columbia. Patrice was heading up to Downer's Grove so we kept it flat. I guess that is the reason why. Maybe not, since he was also only going to ride for a couple hours but he stayed with us all the way to Maeystown.
We put in some good, hard efforts and I was encouraged by the way I rode. A solid week of training yielded some dividends. My stamina was decent and my legs had a little jump unlike a couple weeks ago when I had no ambition to chase accelerations by the others.
The oddest part of the ride happened as we neared Maeystown. Dogs are not an uncommon sight on rides. However, not often do you have to take evasive action to avoid a rooster and chicken running out on the road.
Sunday's ride was a little different from the very start. I misunderstood the start time and Marco called, asking where I was. I was only about a mile away, ready to show up right on time, if only the ride was starting at 8:30.
The rest of the ride was disjointed and never had much flow to it. We started without a clear idea of where we were going and then ran across a couple damsels in distress. They waved us down and asked for help with M's flat tire. She and her friend were quite chatty even offering us candy and gum. Giuseppe took the initiative and began repairing the flat. A nice chunk of glass was still stuck in the tire and proved to be the culprit. A short 30 minutes later (just kidding, Giuseppe) the tire was fixed and we were on our way.
Once we got going again, Marco and I mostly followed Giuseppe and he kept the route vertical. I felt so-so on most of the climbs but chose not to push real hard up Romaine Creek. Later on, my rear tire was going flat at the top of Lonedell Rd. We got going again and I flatted again Richardson and Jeffco.
Oakville was next on the agenda as we descended Telegraph. We went up Becker and Giuseppe decided we needed to tackle Christopher, too. Wonderful. Again, I wasn't in the mood to push terribly hard. Eventually, we turned down Baumgartner where it was time for another flat. This time, Giuseppe was the victim. That was the end of our misfortune, thank goodness.
Giuseppe's efforts up the hills must have taken a toll because he started grumbling about the pace as we climbed Kerth and again up Dantonnaire. By then, I was out of the saddle, feeling pretty good and gave it a little dig. It was a satisfying end to the ride.
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