Torelli Spring Classic -- Sugar Grove Classic

Humbling is the best way to describe the race in Sugar Grove.

We started the race with about 15 riders most of which I have never seen before. The first lap was somewhat slow and the field stayed together up and over the climb. On the second lap a healthnet guy jumped set a hard pace into the climb and I jumped on his wheel. The next thing I knew I was just trying to stay on his wheel. As we headed back to Sugar Grove I looked back and could see that the race was down to five guys.

We were motoring along at a good pace, and I half thought about throwing some small attacks in just for fun. I am glad that I did not, because on the third lap we found out what we were riding with. We passed through Sugar Grove for the third time and then made the right hand turn onto Savage Hill Rd. Then heathnet guy took the pace up high enough that most of us could not even hang on. It is very humbling to be ridden off of someones wheel in the flats. Normally I would have felt bad, but neither Trisk nor Abe could hang with the health net guy.

Anyway it was a good learning experience. Today(Monday) my legs are gone. Totally Aussie fried.

Early March told me I still don't tolerate repeated accelerations yet and Early April I have learned today I still can't climb....let alone repeatedly.

A beautiful day for a friendly ride: almost 60 degrees and sunny, a reasonably sized field (about 40?), quiet country roads, and a hill.

And a friendly ride is basically what we had: nothing too aggressive, which suited me fine. Every once in a while, a punk would go off the front and an old man would chase, but for the most part we were waiting for the hill. It was worth waiting for.

At the last minute before I left my house I put a 26 tooth cog on, just for the heck of it. Had I not, I would have been walking. World record numbers on my HRM as I made deals with the cycling deities each time up.

On the last lap, after Will’s attack on the flats got things going (props to Will), the field shattered on the hill. We came together at the end, except for a group of about 8 that stayed off the front. Sad to say that I was not able to represent SHC in that lead group.

But all in all, I can’t complain. It was a beautiful day for a friendly ride.