The Two rides...
Saturday was the 52 miler with the Orange Park crew. For a no-drop ride this thing is getting pretty screwed up. This time, after my New Years Resolution to not always try to play clean-up, I ignored how many people were with me and focused on keeping up with some of the quicker guys, with some success I might add, so I felt good about that. I still think these rides should be longer though, but I'll lobby for that on another occasion. The group held together pretty well for the out trip, and the halfway sprint, which is on a wide open hill passing some silos on what looks like maybe a pig farm, and heading toward the landfill (lovely!). The group spit out a few new guys, but the turnaround point means the quicker crew comes back through and collects everyone for the return trip. On the return though, things got sort of screwy. A few fellas got hung at a light, and then there wasn't much of an effort to wait to collect them (again, I'm not making that decision anymore, other than saying something about them being off the back, my work is done. Talk to the shop owners and organizers of their no-drop events).
Then the same thing happened to the remaining group as two more guys got hung off at another light later in the day, splitting the group into three. Travis got stuck in the second group, not because he was off the back, but he fell into the roll of waiting for the slower guys, after that part had been dropped by me. In hindsight, I should have told him my plans (or he should have read my blog!) Anyway, he fell back after another new guy got dumped at the light. He was pretty incredulous that there were no volunteers with shop ties to go back or wait up, and that the group as a whole did the same split-up maneuver twice. I felt bad for personal reasons, Travis has been there for me when I felt like crap, and I left him for the faster group. I think he's vowed to not be the new-guy collector anymore either. What can I say, I want to progress as a cyclist, and I need to be LEFT because I couldn't hang, rather than be the guy who sits back for the slower folks. I still contend that slower-folk sitting is for shop guys, and seeing as my Thomson seat post was over $100, I don't think I qualify as shop guy yet.
Sunday was the San Felasco ride, a warm-up tune-up ride for next weeks Tour De Felasco. The tour is a fund raising ride put together by Friends of the park, with the goal of raising money to reinvest in the off-road infrastructure there. The ride is limited to 400 people, and competition to get a slot is tight. I sent my registration in the day it posted on the website and still didn't get in. Found out yesterday that the address had been 'leaked' and that a good many folks pre-registered for the event, sucking up many of the 400 spots, which I though was sort of weasel-like. Plus, it seems that every shop owner I've spoken to has told me that they didn't register on time, but that 'so-and-so' got them in. Crap like that really sucks. I don't think event organisers consider the bad PR that these types of stories create for their groups. I'm all for doing events to raise money or volunteering to do trail maintenance, but when it becomes a high-school clique party, well then I'll pay my 2 bucks at the gate and be wear and tear instead. Too bad too, because the park is a great place. Travis and I hung with the lead group for the first trail and then the previous days road work, and Travis' shoes and pedals (he's still using flats and running shoes, needs to make the clipless leap...are you listening Travis?) conspired to pull us off and into our own group of two. We kept up a pretty quick pace and worked the trails for about two and a half hours before heading on back to the Rover for the drive home. It was a beautiful day on the trails.
Came home, turned on the new light in the kitchen, and heard a faint buzzing and the light flickered. Ugh. House built in 1949, plus 2 phase wiring, plus shitty previous owner hack job repairs equals electrician time. I'm sure I didn't nic any lines, and the light install is about as straight forward as you can get, so I'll just have to have the pros come out and check it out. Probably have to tear a big hole in my ceiling! AAAYEE!
1 comment:
Re. the ceiling: I certainly hope not!
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