Tuesday Night Torture

Well, it's that time of the week again. Yes, it was time for the Hell Ride. Emails went out...is there, isn't there a ride...you know the weather looks iffy...

So I was glad to see seven other brave souls rolling west toward McClay bridge this evening when I joined the group. This would be hellride #2, still leaving at 5:30 pm for another week, before going to 6pm in April. I don't know, but I'd be keeping it at 5:30 for a few more weeks due to lack of sunlight, if it were me.

So the sun was intermittent and there weren't too many clouds. Tamara commented that maybe the clouds would blow over. Not a chance! But off we went with high hopes.

So there were lots of faces there that were starting to become quite familiar. Jason and Travis, Kyle and Willie, me and Greg Larsen, Tamara and Geraldine. But where were the veterans? And, how about the NRO men? Doesn't this ride leave from Open Road? Seriously, it was good to have all of those who came out, and I'm sure the vets got a chance to see the weather report and decided that their level of fitness could afford them a night off. I hope you boys at least had a beer, or something!

The ride went off without any major hitches. We kept it single file along Big Flat Road and called out all of the cars. Once we were on Mullan, we kept a tight paceline and didn't have any problems. That's the good thing about so few riders as we take up less space. I really think that when the numbers get larger, we think of splitting the group up into two groups, perhaps with 5 minutes in between them. I know it's not quite the same feel as a race-pace peloton, but it's a lot safer and more car-friendly.

The route had it's usual, westerly head winds, but we got the privilege of experiencing a nice downpour for the second half of the ride. I put a big lead out for teammates Greg and Travis heading to the mill and Greg got the sprint. Pulp Mill hill hurt as bad as usual and we made haste to get back home as the heavens opened up and just dumped it on us. Yuk!

I'm thawing my toes out now as I write this entry and I just downed two homemade burritos packed with jalapenos and hot salsa to try and warm me up a bit.

So the Tuesday night Hell Ride is always tough, but tonight was a character builder. It's the best way to improve your fitness and test your peripheral circulation. My toes are still white, hmm?