Today's ride involved our regular NPC Back Bay loop, but certain sections were setup for points to make it interesting. Here was the route and the rules:
Route – Anteater > NPC > Pelican (down) > NPC > PCH > Poppy > Ocean > Avocado > PCH > Bayside > Bike Trail > Back Bay >Bike trail to University > CA
Point system
1st – 5
2nd – 4
3rd- - 3
Point Sections
- First to 73 underpass entrance on NPC
- NPC Crest (before San Joaquin)
- Last crest on Pelican before hitting NPC again
- On Back Bay at San Joaquin intersection
- Top of Back Bay
- University Bike Trail to CA light
- Top of CA (before Bison)
- To BRCM Gate (safely)
Additional Points
- Longest up front (pulling, not broken away) – 5 pts
- Stop sign/Red light breakaway (minus 5 pts)
- Rubbing on someone’s rear wheel (minus 5 pts) ‘cough, Adrian, cough’
Rather than going out fast in the beginning, it seemed all 8 of us were setting up for the points on this ride. It was definitely not our fastest pace going out through Anteater, but it was still a good clip.
On NPC, I believe Mitchell took the lead initially with all of us going at a fairly good pace. After the first light, Shannon decided it was time to pick the pace up, and some of us decided to join. Of course, trying to ride his wheel up hill is not necessarily a smart thing to do, so others started to drop off. I managed to stay on for a bit longer, but he busted it before the underpass and got the win. I was 2nd and Adrian 3rd.
I was able to get behind him (or he let me) as we came out from under the 73 freeway, and I even got up front for a bit with him in tow. As expected, he kept the pressure up and passed me after a while. I tried to hang on, but after looking back and seeing no one on my draft, decided it wasn't worth it to keep up and dropped before the crest. Shannon gets the win here with me in 2nd again and Adrian in 3rd.
Now we were all suppose to re-group at the top, so Shannon and I were unclipped waiting after the San Joaquin intersection as promised. When the others started to roll up, all but Adrian stopped or slowed down where Adrian got a pretty sizable lead as a result. This will haunt him though in the next point section based on the judges' evaluation...keep reading.
On Pelican, I led up the hill and Shannon led on the way down but we were still a good distance behind Adrian. Once we started going up on the first hill, I passed Shannon to take the lead and out of nowhere, Seon comes by me and passes with some pretty serious authority. Nice! I was able to jump on his wheel and on the following descent, Shannon and I passed him closing on Adrian fast. At the crest (and point section of the road), Shannon was right beside Adrian and me just a little behind with Seon following just behind us. Based on the judges evaluation of the tape at NPC, the decision was to back out Adrian's lead that he gained when advancing at the mandatory regroup point. As a result, Shannon gets the win, I was 2nd, and Seon 3rd. I can't argue with the judges.
Adrian had managed to get up front again on the downhill, and was pushing the pace pretty hard. On the right turn to PCH, he and Shannon broke away for a little bit with Shannon ultimately taking the front. Although there was no point section here, I didn't want to drop off, so I sprinted to get back on their wheel and pretty much spent a boat load of energy doing so. I thought I'd be done for the rest of the ride.
Everyone else caught up by the time we got to Poppy, and we rode through CDM together with Adrian leading the group throughout. Once we got on PCH, he and some others were keeping the pace up and everyone honest. On the bike trail, Adrian had started it out but Shannon got up front and pulled us through the trailer section.
Once we got on Back Bay drive, Shannon, Adrian and Mitchell started to pick up the pace and gap the others, so I came around from behind Seon to join them. For the sprint, Shannon lead us out and Adrian attacked near the end where I was able to get behind him just as we came up on the intersection. There was a car making a U-turn at the bottom of San Joaquin, so we had to check up a little as we were coming towards the intersection. Nonetheless, Adrian got the win, me 2nd, and Shannon 3rd.
After that section, I got around Adrian and started the first pull...or so I thought. I had a pretty good rhythm going and didn't realized until after looking back that Shannon and Adrian weren't in my draft. Eventually, Shannon closed the gap with Adrian and Mitchell (I think) in tow. Both Adrian and Shannon had explosive pulls after and I did all I could just to not get dropped. We were bouncing off 30 mph for like 4 miles straight, so it was mad intense. Adrian took the 2nd to the last pull, but I wasn't going to come around too early and waited until the last bend before the hill to the top. Once I got around, I thought these guys were going to contest to the top, but I got this one with I believe Shannon 2nd and Adrian 3rd.
I kept going and the 2 others caught up and Adrian eventually passed me before going under Jamboree. As usual, he took the turn underneath pretty fast and gapped for a little, but I closed it before the bridge. Adrian led the rest of the way, but after passing a pedestrian, I decided to go ahead and break for CA for the win. Shannon got 2nd and Adrian 3rd.
The light to go across CA came pretty quickly, and Shannon got the jump and made it through the first light leaving Adrian and I behind. Neither of us wanted to lose points at that light. HA HA. When it turned green, I got ahead first and was passed by Adrian shortly after. Then, I came around him and was able to break away. Shannon was too far ahead so he got first, me 2nd, and Adrian 3rd.
I did manage to run into Shannon at the light on Bison, and although I tried to tell him that Adrian is going to set the light up for a pass, the light turned green and Adrian was off sprinting past us. We tried to contest after the stop sign, but a car had left also making it hard to do anything. Adrian got this one, me 2nd (by going to the left of the car) and Shannon 3rd.
For the most time up front points, I'm going to go ahead and reward this to Adrian. He was definitely up pushing the pace the most (well, maybe not on the hills) but everywhere else.
Here's how the points broke down:
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Great interval training based on this point system. We'll have to try it out again with more people out there. Still managed 20.7 average with 21.2 moving. Animals!
Thanks for the workout!
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