Lunch Ride - Shady, Laguna Canyon, Bike Trail, Jamboree

Strava:  http://app.strava.com/rides/1033884

So much for just a light spin today.  I honestly did plan on taking it easy, but my legs were feeling pretty decent so I didn't mind participating in pushing the pace with the others.  Todd and I worked the group up to Bonita Canyon, and Shannon led us up toward Shady.  Once we got to the backside segment, the 3 of us worked together a lot and pushed the pace all the way to the top.  Todd hadn't been getting in a lot of group rides in lately, so we had to work him to get him ready for the madness he'll be facing next Thursday.  

On the bike trail after Alton, David got in the rotation and took a really good pull after Shannon.  Todd and I finished out the section, and Dave got the Strava segment for it.  Kudos!  Todd hadn't uploaded his data yet though, but still a good showing from David.

After Jeffrey, Todd and I worked the front until the Shannon train came by, and we both managed to jump on while the others lost their tickets.  We did take turns through that section as well, and Shannon ended up taking the Strava segment away from Vin.  Nice work!  The weird thing is that the 3 of us stayed together throughout, but Strava says I was 14 seconds off his pace.  I wonder what Todd's data will show.

It was pretty tough going back with the wind and all on the way back, but we did our best to keep it in the 22+ mph range.  We didn't sprint to CA, but we did pick the pace up some as we neared it.

On Jamboree, Todd took the lead up the hill while I was still recovering from the bike trail.  Shannon held back on the hill and is probably saving it for tomorrow's madness.  When Todd and I got on Bison and headed toward CA, I decided to pick up the pace just on the last section and Todd held on all the way back. There's no more sprinting to the gate given that they're down, and I was perfectly fine with it today.

Almost 21 mph average today overall, which is definitely more than just a moderate spin.  Jaffe mentioned in the locker room that that was not what he considered a spin.  Is it ever with this group?

Thanks for the workout, gents!