The night was sultry ... no it was nice actually. At the start of the ride David Hildebrand instructed us that it was a ride of attrition and we should just let him go. He then described the loop and the finish while we were waiting to start. Unfortunately I went ADD and didn't pay attention to his directions. I figured I'd just follow the other guys.
Right after the start David H. was attacking. Dave is a featherweight climber, weighing only 165 lbs and he was trying to make us hurt. He then fell back into the pack and rode right next to me. I pretended I was going easy but at 5'11" and 205 lbs the hills were more difficult. Joe Tindal, a svelte climber weighing a light 195 was climbing well. Lance Jones, a 225 lb rouleur was having more difficulty. The other 19 riders were focusing on the effort as well.
Eventually Dave H. began to break free. I tried to bridge up to him but almost popped. I would have to go a little easier. I settled back into the field but then we hit a good hill and I had not recovered yet. I told myself to dig deep, mainly because I wasn't really sure of the way back and I figured I'd better keep up if I didn't want to ride alone in the dark.
After struggling for a mile or so I felt recovered and figured near the "finish" I would go really hard. The problem was that I was unsure of where the finish was. Was it near Manchester Cycle Shop, where we had started? I should have listened to Dave.
A few miles later we were cruising along when Joe came up to me and told me I needed to start riding really hard in the next few miles. He was unsatisfied with my performance up to this point. I said sure, but instead I preferred to stay back and watch while the others continued to do the work, including Joe. I realized this was a smart move as Joe got excited a little too early and got popped by the rest of the guys. He would not finish with the rest of us ...
As we continued we started a long downhill. I took advantage of my off season form and began pulling through at this point. Jeff then sprinted off the front of the chase group I was in and we passed the Manchester town sign. Everyone began soft pedaling. I still had something left in the tank, so I was a little unsatisfied that I had not let it all out on the road. However after the ride Joe invited me out to dinner and that made the evening special to me and erased any lingering doubts about my performance. As time passed I thought more about the hardness of this ride. Our normal Tuesday night race for beer only averages 25.5 to 26.5 mph and is completely flat. Our average for the night was 24.5 mph on hilly roads. Quite a performance from all who participated, even from those who popped early.
Here are the results:
1. David Hildebrand
2. Some guy
3. Jeff
4. Some guy
5. Myself
6-10 some other guys
11. Probably Joe Tindal
15? Mark C.?
23. Bib #6
