Dew to morning rain we had to cancel a short morning TT that we wanted to do and opted to just do our main ride, of 60 miles. But this was no ordinary 60 mile ride. Yes, there was going to be a lot of climbing, yes there was going to be some soar legs, yes there were going to be gels consumed. But what made this ride stand out was the support van. How PRO is that? A van with extra wheels, food, clothing, you name it, it was in the…..van. (Thanks again Jen and Abby for volunteering!!!)
Things started off as smooth as a pineapple. Within 500m of the driveway Phil got a flat. Good thing for spare wheels. Then within 5 miles of the drive way Phil dropped his chain and got it stuck. Fortunately this was the last bit of sass Phil’s bike was going to give him and from there on out everything went smoothly….mechanically.
Then at mile 15-ish it happened…and for some reason that song from the “Nightmare Before Christmas” got stuck in my head:
“What's this
? What's this?
There's color everywhere
What's this?
There's white things in the air
What's this?
I can't believe my eyes
I must be dreaming
Wake up, jack, this isn't fair
What's this?”
“a very bad word”-ing SNOW!!!!! Like common, it’s April 17th and it’s snowing? Along with the coldness, high winds, and slightly wet roads, why not through some snow in our faces. And not that nice light fluffy kind, it had to be the kind that stings when it hits. Fifteen miles down and to many to go with snow in the air. Oh and we still had to climb into Lyon Mtn……fantastic.
Seeing it was snowing and going to get colder as we ascended the Mtn. I stopped to get my jacket from the van. Of course I was dropped as the group rolled along ahead of me. Hm…..what could be the best possible way to catch up? Time trail it, be paced by another cyclist, or use the van? Hm……let the motor-pacing begin!!!!! Needless to say I was back to the group in little time.
The climb into Lyon Mtn was taking its toll on some of the riders and one or two fell behind. This is where I found out where the life of a domestique…..sucks, and perhaps are the true warriors of the Tour. I went back to help my teammates in need and encourage them to press on. After some hard work and chasing, we could see them! Little did I know that my teammate was hurting more than I knew from knee pain, so eventually he had to make a smart decision and abandon the rest of the ride……..entire once again the usefulness of the van. Not going to lie, I was a little jealous I didn’t get to ride in it. Luckily for me at the end of Chazy Lake Road, we got a little break as nature was calling and some wanted to put a jacket on because the rest of the ride was going to be fast.
Winding our way some, from all the work I had done, I got dropped a little and of course came to a “T” in the road. Hm……………do I go right? Or do I go left? No riders in sight…….crap! As I waited for the Van, which also apparently had gotten lost amongst the quick turns in Cadyville, all I could get from the three passengers was a “I think left, but don’t quote me on that.” Left it is. Fewwwww….right way.
Back at the house it was time to do mass stretching and use the foam roller; however, for most of the night it was a constant battle to steal it away from Bruce’s 3 year old. It’s funny how simple objects can being a child joy, well until a 6 year old sees how much fun the 3 year old is having and Wrestle Mania XIV brakes out (no children where hurt during the production of “this” WOE training came). Oh and there was eating. Not dinner, but pre-gaming for dinner. Bagels, coffee, fresh pumpkin bread (Thanks Kelly!), Gatorade recovery drinks, and nutella. Then and only then was it time to go to dinner at a local Italian restaurant. And needless to say, we feasted.
Day 2:
Typically training camps run Saturday and Sunday; however, this one ran Sunday to Monday. Some of us WOE-ains have weird work schedules. So some of the riders couldn’t make it both days……..Kyle.
Again mother nature gave use a wonderful surprise and there was actual snow on the ground. We wanted to go to Wilmington, but were informed that the roads were a little slick. So we compensated and changed the course, only about five times. Seeing it was pretty chilly the layers started piling on and hand warmers were broken out.
After Sunday’s ride, we decided to take it easier and make it more of an endurance ride. With no support van :( . But everything went smoothly and the van would not have been needed. Guys from the Potsdam crew, were very impressed with the riding of the Peru area and enjoyed many of the sights. At least I think that’s what they were doing. Because there was a good 10 to 15 minutes that no one said a thing. All you could hear was the clicking of shifters and the grinding of wheels over sand on the road. Kind of peaceful, but not peaceful enough that you didn’t keep an eye over your shoulder to see who was going to be the antagonist and attack. But no one did.
Now I know some scientist have tried to prove that yawning is contagious and have found some hard to interpret answers, but what yawning is to the everyday person as peeing is to a cyclist. If one stops, there is bound to be another and than another. Out of the six riders, five stopped to water the flowers. Which I hope will start showing up soon!!!!!!!!
Three hours later we were done. Back to the warmth of Bruce’s house and comfort of coffee, and food. But mostly the coffee.
As the English proverb states “All good things must come to an end.” Bags had to be packed, bikes loaded, and trips home had to commence. For there is the reality of real life and the jobs that tie us down. Jobs that even though frustrate us at times do pay for our cycling and all to many over priced pieces of equipment.
"til Next time.
Man I love these. Thanks Jeff! And thanks to the crew that made this weekend a hoot!
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