| Ride Stats |
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Distance:
62.00 miles
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Altitude Gain:
894 ft
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Avg Speed:
21.00 mph
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Route:
Baytown Gator Ride
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Avg Grade: 0 %
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Max Grade: 0 %
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Max HR: 0 bpm
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Avg HR: 0 bpm
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Terrain: Road: Flat
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Bike: Look 585 Carbon Road
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Club: Schuyler County Cycling Club |
| Weather Conditions: Cloudy 60 F N wind @ 18 mph |
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Traveled to Baytown TX to ride in a metric century. Got here yesterday but stayed in an area that had didn't seem to offer good riding due to very heavy traffic and little or no shoulders so took the day off. Payed for my laxity when I unloaded my bike and found out that I had a flat tire. Fortunately I had gotten to the start an hour early and didn't go into a panic. Got out the spare wheel and changed from my mountain cogs to my rolling hill cogs. Today's ride only promised one small climb being a suspension bridge over the bay so could have used my straight block but hadn't packed it. Next bad news was my garmin battery had run down. I remembered shutting it off and packing it after charging it after Thursday's ride but regardless of my memory the computer was dead. Started charging it in the truck but didn't have enough time to get a three plus hour charge into it. One thing that went well was registration. Walked up to a pre paid line and was asked if I had pre paid. When I said yes they handed me a number, t-shirt and goody bag. No checking of lists for confirmation. Just printed my name next to my number on a sheet. Quickest, easiestregistration ever. Weather was also favorable as it was sixty degrees at the start and was predicted to stay near sixty for the entire ride. Bad news was a steady eighteen miles an hour north wind. Plan today being the first big ride of the year was to just grind the miles off out of the wind in the pack. Lined up several rows deep in the 200 or so entries. Ride started with a jailbreak and as I was doing a slow rollout I could see a small group hammering off. Took me a mile or so to reach the front of the pack and took off on my own to try to bridge to the front group. Legs felt great and had took me up into the low thirties as I pursued the front group. New plan was to try to catch the lead group. Wasn't gaining much ground until the bridge climb came up about four miles into the ride. Course was actually on a four lane but was great as one lane had been coned off for several miles. Was impressed with the hundreds of orange cones and the time to set them out that was commited to this ride. Despite my high speed I didn't gain much on the leaders until the climb when the front group broke up. Caught a tandem and one solo rider on the climb but lost time on three others. Hill took a little metal out of my legs but still kept a good speed until heading directly into the wind. Was able to catch and pass one other rider but had lost site of the two leaders and the pace motorcycle in the wind. Slowed down a little after that when entering a park that had an impressive monolith and a battleship parked alongside the road. Cruised into the first rest stop and finally caught the two front riders loading up there. The first rest stop was also at a ferry landing and I was surprised that the course included a ride on the ferry across the bay. Ferry left after about thirty riders got on. Ride strated up again with a large pack and miles passed quickly as the pack rotated pulls. Felt good taking my pulls and rode comfortably. Easy riding wasn't to last though as the line split and three riders got away while some of the riders at the front slowed down and chatted. Pack seemed to have no interest in pursuing as the riders were known quality riders on time trial bikes and outclassed the pack riders. Another rider and I tried to bridge but despite my best effort I was unable to make it. One rider of the front three couldn't keep the pace and we caught him and the three of us started rotating in pursuit of the pair. We ran for nearly twenty miles without gaining or losing on our thirty second gap. We were only leading a large pack by twenty seconds and eventually were gobbled up by a group of seven. Thought we would easily catch the front pair now that we had a strong group but we never did. Kept the pace up though and eventually burned off all but a group of three. Lost another rider at with only five to go and finished the with one other rider to claim third and fourth. Had a really strong ride and legs felt great. Didn't wear my heart monitor but am pretty sure my heart rate was near maximum for nearly all of the ride. Turned out to be a great flat course and probably would have been much faster without the nasty wind.
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