Sunday Ride Report, or 51 MPH

5:45 a.m. start from John's house--I arrive late so its a 6 a.m. start--


Larry and Joan on the tandum.


We have a friendly dash up the front side of Gates Pass--Eric smokes us!


And he rubs it in! Eric and Yours here at the top of Gates Pass.

Eric reaches top speed of 51 MPH down Gates Pass, and shows us his bike computer--which he has removed from the bike--as proof. That's a little too fast for me. I reached top speed of 42 MPH but I was being pretty careful not to break my neck on this fast descent. But it was impressive I must say!


After McCain Loop, there's a bit of a competition to see who can get to the Chevron first for our water stop. For the next several miles, John, Eric, and I are battling it out--to see who will buy Lil Debbie Cupcakes. The winner buys. Eric is having a good day and beats us--but John and I are hot on his heels.


Half cyclist/half wolf? I got a glimps of Lobos on McCain Loop, mes amis, and got a quick snap-shot. We suddenly had to stop because rocks and sand had washed onto the road. The Wolf was stealthfuly streaming by us.

The last 10 miles the tandum drafted us through a strong head wind. There was one last hill on Twin Peaks Rd, and I know John, Eric, and Yours were all waiting to see who would pounce first to be on top of the hill. As we near, nobody seems to want to make a move--then Eric goes and I go right after him. Its me and Eric going up the hill, and I'm letting Eric pull me up. Then all of the sudden Eric runs out of steam--I'm a bit close to his wheel; great another crash with Eric I say to myself--but I slip past and then hammer to the top!

I must confess to you, Gentle Reader, that the first time I rode up this hill was my first El Tour. I was having leg cramps and I just barely got up this hill--an old lady passed me on a mountain bike, as well as a couple of little kids. It was humiliating and painful. Of course now its just a bad-ass hill that you just take on. But big guys like me suffer on hills so its nice when I can have a little satisfaction and beat Eric, "The Wing" on this particular day.

Cheers!