FLCC> Tuesday night "races"

[Mark Rishniw]

Perfect weather conditions meant that the Tuesday night ride was 
going to be big.  And so it was.  The A's waited while Glenn repaired 
a puncture, so the B's went off first.  There were about 15 riders in 
the group, all relatively evenly matched.  The headwind along 
whitechurch had people diving for cover, sucking wheels and being 
reluctant to take a pull.  On the downhill, I attacked the field to 
liven things up. Mano Cestero joined me and we had a few hundred 
yards on the field for a while, but they closed us down.  Up 
Coddington the pace was modest.  The group was all still together 
over the top.  Coming into the finishing sprint several riders 
attacked, while I sat up to coast in. Can't remember who won.

Second lap, the outbound leg was much like the first.  Relatively 
slow.  As we turned up Coddington I was near the back of the pack. 
Marko Shenstoni went to the front and began to hammer.  Fanny-pack 
George was on his wheel and they were gapping the field.  I bridged 
up to FP George, passed him and then stood up and blew by 
Marko.  Cresting the top I was just about spent, but the field was 
split up along the climb.  Marko and George came up to me, and soon 
Peter "Aussie" Blenkiron appeared, with Alex Tamm.  The 5 of us 
worked a chain, but the slowly a few stragglers caught back on, so 
that before the dip there were about 8-9 of us.  Up the final climb 
Marko went again.  Peter covered him and I covered Pete.  Marko 
slowed, so Pete went to the front and began to motor.  We were 
comfortably sitting on 22mph coming up to the finishing turn.  I 
looked back. Only Alex T was on my wheel.  I told Pete that I wasn't 
going to contest the sprint and told him to go, as I slowed ever so 
slightly, to make Alex have to work extra hard to get around me and 
bridge.  But he did, and managed to pass Pete B near the line.

Good news - everybody stayed upright.

Bad news - a gentleman in a truck pulled up while we were recovering 
after the second lap to complain that a large group (the C-group) had 
taken up the whole lane as he was coming up behind them, and they 
failed to move over into a single file (or at least 2 abreast).  We 
don't need to irritate drivers by disobeying road rules.  PLEASE MOVE 
OVER when a car approaches the pack from behind, so that it can pass 
safely as soon as possible.

Twinkie


Mark Rishniw

Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
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