Strava: http://app.strava.com/activities/91085241
Attendees: Shannon, Vince, Todd, Jeremy, Adrian, Mitchell, Vin, Jaffe and me
Today's lunch ride reminded me of a conversation during our stay up near Lake Tahoe for the Death Ride a couple years ago when Noah compared doing a double century to letting yourself get kicked it the nuts. Both are doable but pretty much guaranteed not to be fun. In my humble opinion, the punishment being doled out on today's ride definitely seemed comparable to a swift kick to the ol' frank and beans...with steel-toed army boots at that. At least getting kicked in my junk will only have a short-lasting effect (UFC gives you five minutes to recover in these instances), but I'm thinking I'm going to be feeling today's ride through this evening and tomorrow.
There was some talk about how we shouldn't have any challenges today and just do a ride and suffer through the paceline. instead. Well, let me clarify something here: A paceline is intended for efficiency and is a coordinated effort where everyone works together to maintain a good pace. Can you honestly, honestly say that this is what we do during our lunch rides? I don't think so. Try tortureline. Let me break it down for you: Our lunch rides are purely intended to abuse one another any way possible with the hope that in the end, it will improve each others conditioning. Period. It's like that saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" but to the nth degree.
After waiting at the corner for Vin yet again, which gets old by the way, we allowed him to take the front early on as a penalty for his tardiness. His pull lasted for all of about a block though when people started to amp it up making their way past him. Todd wasn't a part of that though as he stayed back a little to go into chase mode like he did the other day. As a group with notable pulls by Shannon and Jeremy, we got up to a Bonita Canyon at almost a 22 mph pace, and Todd rolled in just behind us at the light. I was already out of breath at the time, so I definitely wasn't digging the rocket start.
Once the light turned green, Todd led us and others started rotating in, including myself, trying to keep the pace up. I'm still a little hazy about the transitions, but at one point I remember Shannon taking the front and just crushing it where I wondered what...the...hell? Even with Adrian having his TT bars on his bike today, I saw no sign of him trying to make a mad pass on the descent given the pace Shannon had set. You can almost here Shannon mentally saying, take that, you little bitches.
When we got onto the trail, Shannon was still up front but Todd had gotten on the bike trail ahead of me. Todd eventually took the front, and I was just desperately trying to recover from trying to stay on Shannon's wheel just before. At the top of the hill that pitched up right before the driveway, I tried to take the front, but that only lasted for a few seconds. Todd and Shannon, I believe, and Jeremy had gotten past me, and once again I was just trying desperately to hang on as we made our way to the crest. Seriously, what the hell?
Todd and Jeremy led us over to Knollcrest where at one point during the climb, I just couldn't handle the pace (aka abuse) anymore. Vince made his way past me at that point, and Mitchell (my wingman) started to help me work with him up the hill to Luminous. As we were making our way up, we saw the three guys ahead of us heading down going the opposite way and I almost turn around right there just to ride with them. However, as an ambassador for BAM, I had to keep going all the way to the top. Mitchell came with me and continued to help maintain a good pace as we made our way back down to the light. We did see Vin, Jaffe and Adrian heading up on our way down, but that would be the last we'd see of them for the rest of the ride.
Even as we were back on Quail Hill, Mitchell was fulfilling his wingman duties and eventually helped us get back up to Shannon and Vince at the light before the turnabout. There was a lot of traffic to navigate through, and Mitchell had managed to grab one of their rear wheel while I tried desperately not to get ran over but make it onto the trail just behind them. I was worried they were going to drop me, but fortunately I was not able to get just behind them.
Shannon was pulling like a madman on the bike trail, so I also pushed up from the back to help out. Doing so almost had me blowing up again as we made our way up toward the Strawberry Farms, but I think Mitchell helped me out there too where we were both able to arrive at the light with the others.
On Ridgeline, Shannon got to the intersection first and was able to get in front of a car making a right. I checked up to make sure the driver saw me and Vince, and once we saw he did, Vince took off and was able to catch up to Shannon. I was not as lucky, but I had Mitchell with me so good enough. While Shannon and Vince gapped us pretty good, we were actually able to close the gap some on the sections where it pitched up. It was not enough, however, and Shannon and Vince continued to keep a gap while Mitchell helped finish up Ridgeline and get us on Turtle Rock. We did catch a glimpse of Todd and Jeremy ahead of us at the onset of the climb, but that was the last time we saw them.
Mitchell and I continued to work together going up Shady and down toward Bonita Canyon. We were fortunate enough to run into Vince and Shannon there, who had increased the gap on the climb, but got caught at the light. They just missed the light as they saw Todd and Jeremy ahead of them going through. What sucked is that the light took a while to change even when we got there.
When we got going on Bonita Canyon, we were all working together again and Vince could not utter a negative word about Mitchell since he, too, was still in the rotation. Shannon and I led us up San Miguel, and that became a little race on it's own as we climbed where rather than letting me pass to take the front, he was not willing to give it up yet, so I gave up and got back in the mix. I was able to take the front eventually though, and we both worked to get us over to San Joaquin.
On McArthur, it was another fast one and once again I found myself just doing what I could do to keep up. Vince took the last pull before we got to the Bonita Canyon intersection and I could never get around him to take the next pull. I did get us started after the intersection though, and led us over to Bison. Now I'm so tired, I can't even remember if there was any sprinting to California, so you'll just have to use your imagination for that one.
Looking at Todd and Jeremy's Strava stats, it looks like they killed it. It was still fun chasing them though, so I guess we ended up chasing two rabbits today despite the desire to have a "normal" non-challenge lunch ride. Great work from Mitchell, Shannon and Vince today as well, and I'm sorry I couldn't do more. Nevertheless, another great workout, so mission accomplished. Thanks, gents!
Attendees: Shannon, Vince, Todd, Jeremy, Adrian, Mitchell, Vin, Jaffe and me
Today's lunch ride reminded me of a conversation during our stay up near Lake Tahoe for the Death Ride a couple years ago when Noah compared doing a double century to letting yourself get kicked it the nuts. Both are doable but pretty much guaranteed not to be fun. In my humble opinion, the punishment being doled out on today's ride definitely seemed comparable to a swift kick to the ol' frank and beans...with steel-toed army boots at that. At least getting kicked in my junk will only have a short-lasting effect (UFC gives you five minutes to recover in these instances), but I'm thinking I'm going to be feeling today's ride through this evening and tomorrow.
There was some talk about how we shouldn't have any challenges today and just do a ride and suffer through the paceline. instead. Well, let me clarify something here: A paceline is intended for efficiency and is a coordinated effort where everyone works together to maintain a good pace. Can you honestly, honestly say that this is what we do during our lunch rides? I don't think so. Try tortureline. Let me break it down for you: Our lunch rides are purely intended to abuse one another any way possible with the hope that in the end, it will improve each others conditioning. Period. It's like that saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" but to the nth degree.
After waiting at the corner for Vin yet again, which gets old by the way, we allowed him to take the front early on as a penalty for his tardiness. His pull lasted for all of about a block though when people started to amp it up making their way past him. Todd wasn't a part of that though as he stayed back a little to go into chase mode like he did the other day. As a group with notable pulls by Shannon and Jeremy, we got up to a Bonita Canyon at almost a 22 mph pace, and Todd rolled in just behind us at the light. I was already out of breath at the time, so I definitely wasn't digging the rocket start.
Once the light turned green, Todd led us and others started rotating in, including myself, trying to keep the pace up. I'm still a little hazy about the transitions, but at one point I remember Shannon taking the front and just crushing it where I wondered what...the...hell? Even with Adrian having his TT bars on his bike today, I saw no sign of him trying to make a mad pass on the descent given the pace Shannon had set. You can almost here Shannon mentally saying, take that, you little bitches.
When we got onto the trail, Shannon was still up front but Todd had gotten on the bike trail ahead of me. Todd eventually took the front, and I was just desperately trying to recover from trying to stay on Shannon's wheel just before. At the top of the hill that pitched up right before the driveway, I tried to take the front, but that only lasted for a few seconds. Todd and Shannon, I believe, and Jeremy had gotten past me, and once again I was just trying desperately to hang on as we made our way to the crest. Seriously, what the hell?
Todd and Jeremy led us over to Knollcrest where at one point during the climb, I just couldn't handle the pace (aka abuse) anymore. Vince made his way past me at that point, and Mitchell (my wingman) started to help me work with him up the hill to Luminous. As we were making our way up, we saw the three guys ahead of us heading down going the opposite way and I almost turn around right there just to ride with them. However, as an ambassador for BAM, I had to keep going all the way to the top. Mitchell came with me and continued to help maintain a good pace as we made our way back down to the light. We did see Vin, Jaffe and Adrian heading up on our way down, but that would be the last we'd see of them for the rest of the ride.
Even as we were back on Quail Hill, Mitchell was fulfilling his wingman duties and eventually helped us get back up to Shannon and Vince at the light before the turnabout. There was a lot of traffic to navigate through, and Mitchell had managed to grab one of their rear wheel while I tried desperately not to get ran over but make it onto the trail just behind them. I was worried they were going to drop me, but fortunately I was not able to get just behind them.
Shannon was pulling like a madman on the bike trail, so I also pushed up from the back to help out. Doing so almost had me blowing up again as we made our way up toward the Strawberry Farms, but I think Mitchell helped me out there too where we were both able to arrive at the light with the others.
On Ridgeline, Shannon got to the intersection first and was able to get in front of a car making a right. I checked up to make sure the driver saw me and Vince, and once we saw he did, Vince took off and was able to catch up to Shannon. I was not as lucky, but I had Mitchell with me so good enough. While Shannon and Vince gapped us pretty good, we were actually able to close the gap some on the sections where it pitched up. It was not enough, however, and Shannon and Vince continued to keep a gap while Mitchell helped finish up Ridgeline and get us on Turtle Rock. We did catch a glimpse of Todd and Jeremy ahead of us at the onset of the climb, but that was the last time we saw them.
Mitchell and I continued to work together going up Shady and down toward Bonita Canyon. We were fortunate enough to run into Vince and Shannon there, who had increased the gap on the climb, but got caught at the light. They just missed the light as they saw Todd and Jeremy ahead of them going through. What sucked is that the light took a while to change even when we got there.
When we got going on Bonita Canyon, we were all working together again and Vince could not utter a negative word about Mitchell since he, too, was still in the rotation. Shannon and I led us up San Miguel, and that became a little race on it's own as we climbed where rather than letting me pass to take the front, he was not willing to give it up yet, so I gave up and got back in the mix. I was able to take the front eventually though, and we both worked to get us over to San Joaquin.
On McArthur, it was another fast one and once again I found myself just doing what I could do to keep up. Vince took the last pull before we got to the Bonita Canyon intersection and I could never get around him to take the next pull. I did get us started after the intersection though, and led us over to Bison. Now I'm so tired, I can't even remember if there was any sprinting to California, so you'll just have to use your imagination for that one.
Looking at Todd and Jeremy's Strava stats, it looks like they killed it. It was still fun chasing them though, so I guess we ended up chasing two rabbits today despite the desire to have a "normal" non-challenge lunch ride. Great work from Mitchell, Shannon and Vince today as well, and I'm sorry I couldn't do more. Nevertheless, another great workout, so mission accomplished. Thanks, gents!
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