Thanksgiving Long Weekend Club Ride

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In beautiful Fall weather that was quite summerlike I managed to finally ride my bike! First time in nearly two weeks!

We had a nice turnout for the Saturday morning ride and I jumped in with the fast group with some trepidation knowing my saddle time has been practically non existant the month of September.

Unlike a fellow club member who once again caused dissention today I ride with the elites fully aware that the suffering will be great and that they have no obligation to cater to me. That is the nature of the fast group.......the needs of the many outweight the needs of the few. If you get dropped or the tempo not to your liking then suck it up.As a club we send off several groups as part of the ride and you can tailor your day based upon how you feel.

With that in mind I pretty much sucked wheel out to Fall River but managed to stay in touch till the Fall River Hill. There I paced Eric up the hill who has asthma and was experiencing some tightness.Truth be told it was in my self interest as I can`t ride with the lads in the hills when I`m in good bike shape....lol. Many times I had him pull me up the hill so it was nice to return the favor.

At Fall River I opted out of joining the fast group out to Laurie Park but went with a second group that was a little slower but it gave me a chance to recover.That is what frustrates me about certain riders in the club. When they are feeling good they have no issues dispensing the suffering but when the roles are reversed they expect the fast group to sit up. Ugh!

At Laurie park I was feeling better....I am a notoriously slow starter and get stronger as the ride goes on so I jumped back in with the lead group back to Bedford.The pace was hard and I basically sat in most of the return trip.I managed to keep in contact on the short rollers on Rocky lake when the lads sprinted up the climbs and then for the final sprint into Bedford.

A beautiful day in the company of friends. Does it get any better?

Pictures - let`s title it "Views From Off The Back".....(wink)
The lads on the road, Michael looking sharp in AG2R kit and Kaarin`s new ride.

Geo

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