Saturday morning - A nice day for a sunrise, then a group ride.... or 2 ........ or 3.










Wes was there, blingin' his BMB kit. 750 miles and all he got was a jersey? Oh, a water bottle too! The rewards for that accomplishment go far deeper than anything you can wear. WTG. Well done.








Wild Bill announces the new format - 2 rides, one wicked fast with NO regroups. Another one wicked fast with regroups. JLaw leads out a group of 10-12 of us the first ride.

Good decision on breaking the rides up. Getting 50+ people through the town at race pace was getting a wee bit sketchy at times. Heck, getting 50 people through a red light without a split was all but impossible.





The crowd swells for the 2nd ride(s). All was well. Rolled out with the masses in group 2b.
Pace was smooth and steadily ramped up by the end of Shore Drive. I didn't have my 'puter on so have no clue what the speed was. I did hear someone behind me say "30mph and we're in the B group." Who knows. Then at the end someone says we were going 17 the whole way. (What ride was he on?)

You can please some of the people some of the time, but ya can't please all of the people all of the time. Was a good morning on the bike. Hope I have some climbing left in the legs, gonna be needed tomorrow.

You'll be astounded by the incredible panoramic views from atop the Blue Ridge Parkway. However, before enjoying those delights, you'll be paying your dues: first, by conquering the 6.3 mile Category 2 climb from Vesuvius to Round Mountain and later, by enduring the unforgiving 8.6 mile Category 1 climb up Reed's Gap and on to Raven's Roost! Each climb offers a 2.3 mile 11% grade section of tantalizing joy.

.... and that kind of joy is what I'm all about!

RideOn

JB