Dropped like a hot rock

Another weird one for me this weekend, I didn’t ride over to the start of the group ride. I’m still lacking the confidence to do an extended ride fearing I’ll fall apart at the end. Going to have to pull off the band aid sometime.

Had a nice drive over to the start at Pedal & Pour with Joy this morning. I had sent her a text late last night asking if she wanted to carpool over. I figured I might as well make the offer considering I’d drive right by her house on the way over anyway. The only requirement as I needed to make a stop at Starbucks along the way. I could have had breakfast at home this morning, but it would have meant getting up around 3:30 and considering the late night last night I didn’t feel like it. I enjoyed a nice iced coffee, burrito, and slice of banana bread on the drive over.

We made it to Pedal & Pour with about 30 minutes to spare, leaving us plenty of time to finish getting ready. I was surprised when we pulled in to see Jon already there getting his bike ready. The three of us got to chat for a few minutes while we lazily got our bikes ready to roll out. About 15 minutes later Robert and Kant rolled up and joined in on the pre-ride visiting. All in all we ended up with a decent sized group as we rolled out of Pedal & Pour just after 6.

Today’s ride was pretty simple. Quick ride up to Villa Ridge and back before the rain hit. I was feeling pretty good for the entire ride and was out in front for a lot of it. I surprised myself by being one of the first four up Villa Ridge, but I attribute that to following Henry’s wheel almost the entire way. Then once at the top I did a total of five loops while waiting for the last rider to make it to the regroup at Clear Meadows. I know it’s stupid, but it’s one of the few times I can make myself do anything resembling intervals. Sure they’re only quick sprints up to the top, but they do start to take their toll.

The ride back to Pedal & Pour was just the reverse of our way out. There was some confusion as a few riders wanted to do some extra climbing in the hills along Desert Foothills, but for the most part the core group stuck together. We did make a quick stop to check in on a down rider. I didn’t hear the story of how she went down, but we were assured that someone was on the way to take a look at her. She got up on her own feet before we rolled on.

As we made our way along west Summerlin there was more confusion on if we should take Flamingo to Hualapai or not. I did my best to get everyone to continue south along Town Center until it turns into Tropicana. I’m pretty sure that everyone listened and followed me along. Then as we neared the intersection of Tropicana and Town Center, I was doing a tomahawk chop to indicate we were going straight and I smacked my hand on the light attached to my helmet. Well off it came and I heard it bouncing along the road. I pulled over to the right and waved everyone on while letting them know I was all good.

I turned around in the bike lane and slow rolled my way back through the intersection looking for my light. I did eventually find it but I’m pretty sure it’s toast. It refuses to come on or look like it will take a charge. A quick trip over to Trek will fix that right up though. At this point Robert, Kevin, Iz, and a few others rolled by. They got stopped at the Town Center light and I was able to roll up behind them. Shortly after the light went green and we started through the intersection I spotted a dime on the ground and stopped to nab it. Gotta work for that new bike money!

We made it back to Pedal & Pour easily enough without further incident. As I was cinching down the strap on Shadow’s rear wheel I noticed that it was completely flat! I started feeling along the outside of the tire and be damned there was a nice staple run right through the tire. Thank heavens I waited until I was in the parking lot to get a flat. A short time later Joy rolled up after tacking on a few extra miles to shake out her legs. I grabbed her bike and mounted it up. I went ahead and changed into some street clothes, locked up the bikes, and then went inside for a nice cold brew and pastry.

As the after party wound down Joy mentioned she had a computer mount at Pro Cyclery waiting for her. I offered to swing her there on our way home. I know it is technically out of the way, but I figured we were only a few miles away. It wasn’t a big deal. As we rolled up it dawned on her that they didn’t open until 10:00 which meant we had to wait a whole 15 minutes to get her mount.

After the drive home, including dropping off Joy, I took Shadow out back and gave him a nice bath. After yesterday’s gnarly ride home in the rain and muck I figured it was the least I could do for the guy. I also repaired the rear tire by patching the tube and wiped down and lubed the chain. I swear he looks so good after a wash. I wish there was some magical product I could put on to keep him looking post wash clean all the time.

Not sure what is in store for next week as far as riding is concerned. I really want to commute, but I have new student orientation on campus on Monday and Tuesday after work. I have a third day of orientation off campus on Wednesday. I even have a fourth session that will have me leave campus late on Thursday as well! Unbelievable! Don’t these people know that I have cycling to do? I’ll just have to play it by ear. Not sure how keen I am to get home at 9:30, or later.

Finally, no group ride for me next weekend. I’m off to southern Utah to join Caleb’s support crew as he attempts the Hoodoo 500. Dude is a monster and he’s going to crush it.

New bike fund: $25.41 (+$0.11)
2.49 new miles — From Wandrer.earth
69 vehicles @ 1.9 per mile, 0.5 per minute, Speeds: 29.4 mph (avg), 47.9 mph (max) — by MyBikeTraffic.com
Give your activities the names they deserve. — by Bandok.com
Partly cloudy-Mostly cloudy, 70°F-71°F, Feels like 68°F-74°F, Humidity 83%-75%, Wind N 4mph-N 0mph — by Klimat.app
— myWindsock Report —
Weather Impact: 0.4%
Headwind: 54% @ 4.9-31.1mph
Longest Headwind: 39m 55s
Air Speed: 18mph
Temp: 70.2-73.6°F
Precip: 100% @ 0 Inch/hr
— END —