It didn’t take me 17 years to re-emerge, but it has felt almost that long. The fast-paced Tuesday ride was always going to be the true reality test of whether lots of climbing over the past week would deliver that extra increment of fitness that I have been desperate to find so I would no longer feel desperate on the rides.
I had to force myself out the door to go meet my fate. It was one of those days where my body was pleading “Dude, stay in. Relax. Chill.” Very tempting, but it was a beautiful day and I wanted to know what was what, so I rolled to the start. When we departed at 12:31 it was a pretty small group. But one by one the Killers vectored in, and by the time we got to the light at River, we were cocked and loaded, with Honeybadger, The Sheriff, Paddler, and Leghorn (who is riding really strong and has achieved Associate Killer status alongside The Professor) all present and accounted for. Stoker and Proton rolled in, too (and Sparky eventually as well), which meant I had some of my peeps around.
Up Mass we went, steady-hard. I slotted in behind Paddler, who is a solid, steady wheel. Toward the top there was a little acceleration that pushed my heart rate up, but so far so good. We went FAST through the Sangmore neighborhood, and then stretched out on MacArthur. I happily took up the Lanterne Rouge position behind Proton and Sparky, while the Killers, along with The Professor (who, to his credit, rarely sits in) and Leghorn drove the train.
When we made the right onto Persimmon the Sheriff popped to the front. In years past, he has been more Wyatt Earp, using his quiet authority and skills to keep the group from running wild and doing damage. This year he seems more Doc Holliday, keeping his counsel but always ready for a fight. Remembering my bad shift and dropped chain on the previous Tuesday, I kept the chain on the FD big ring at the start of the climb, and quickly realized there was no reason to downshift. Big ring = big power, and I liked how that felt (plus no risk of chain drop). Good discovery for that climb. Always learning.
We felt fast up to 495, and then fast up the stairsteps to Oaklyn. And then fast on Oaklyn too. Did I mention the ride felt fast? Still, I was feeling pressed but not desperate, and felt ready to take the next big step: the full GFP descent and ascent. The group rolled down into the park under the recently declared neutrality laws (due to the crappy state of the road), and following the U-turn at the gatehouse I thought about which wheel would be smart to follow on the climb out. I settled on The Professor, who is solid, reliable, and unlikely to crack. Just as I did, Sparky declared he was going to follow The Professor, and rode to his wheel. No problem. I dropped behind Sparky, and Lanterne Rouged again (which would be the right place to be anyhow if I couldn’t hack the climb).
I felt good up the first climb through the S-turns. After that the road flattens for a bit before turning up again on the straightaway to the VFW. I always know we are climbing fast if we hit 20 mph on that flattish section. We hit 20 mph on that flattish section. On the VFW hill I focused on Sparky’s wheel, refusing to look up to see how far we had until the final flat section to the park exit. I was working for sure, but no red lights were flashing. As we approached the VFW I took a peek ahead, and discovered that Sparky had been gapped. Oof. We were maybe 30 meters off the back. We both cranked for all we were worth in the final section, and I came out of the park breathing hard and glad that the new protocol is for the group to sit up a bit after the park climb to allow stragglers (like me and Sparky) to rejoin. Mercy.
I used Brickyard to recover and prepare for Clara Barton, which is always a thrill in a fast group. Once on the parkway we accelerated to 25-30, and a smooth, steady rotation kicked off. I happened to follow Paddler in the rotation, which made life good. Paddler pulls through steadily and smoothly, which allowed me to try and do the same. There was a slight headwind buffeting us, so by the time we approached Glen Echo, and the slight rise toward the exit, I was definitely feeling it. Orange warning lights, not red catastrophe lights. But lights.
The exit ramp is Dragonfly’s preferred launch point for a mini-break, but this time I decided if he went I would stay with the pack and not follow. Paddler was on the front as we got to the exit ramp, and if I had been a better person (and cyclist) I would have pulled through and led up the ramp. Instead, we went up together, and Dragonfly stayed put. He did finally go around us after the turn onto MacArthur toward the one-lane bridge, but it wasn’t a serious effort.
After the bridge, Honeybadger came to the front and started to increase the speed and pressure. The run through Glen Echo, and toward the final climb on Walhonding, is also a popular spot for little breaks. I wasn’t going up Walhonding, so I got into the rotation and put in a final effort. The group went left at Walhonding. I went straight on Mac to spin home. My Tuesday reality check had delivered a positive verdict. Another ride that ranked high on the fun scale and low on the masochism scale. Getting into a good fitness zone is better than a fistful of Advil. Next week I’ll have to go up the Walhonding climb as well.
Relative Effort: 121 (“Tough”)
Miles ridden this year: 1547
Strava Fitness #: 62 (+ 2)
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