Thursday Night Gas

Roanoke Rapids, NC - Any Thursday Pm Ride

So I've been meaning to post more, so here I go. It didn't take me too long to hook up with the local cycling club: The Roanoke Valley Cycling Club, to start getting some club riding in. I have done a lot of solo riding this year and it is always a nice change of pace (literally) to ride with a group.

And let me tell you, these boys don't disappoint. I have been able to make it to most every Tuesday and Thursday post-work ride. Good groups of twelve to twenty riders have been showing up. And though they are from all fitness levels, they are there for the same reason, to ride and ride hard.



Last Thursday night started out hot as hell, but with a stiff breeze. We headed west to offset the southerly gusts and make things more tolerable. That was all that it took for the Big Boys to start pushing the pace. Then as we turned back for home (and into a cross-tailwind) things really heated up. We had several long stretches at LT (lactate threshold). My final tally was about 30 minutes at LT and an average pace of 23.5 mph for the entire ride. Tough! And with a driving thunderstorm for the last 40 minutes plus.


This Thursday was much calmer, mostly because it was hot (again), but also because Mike and Randy were absent. These two guys run the peloton. So we ran at a more sensible pace, about 21 mph. That said, the last 10+ miles were as hard as I have come to expect. hammering this time were Robert (think Fabian Cancellara), John (think Andy Schleck) and Jimmy (think Levi Leipheimer). I don't know, but it was all I could do to hang on. After the ride, it was all about giving props to each other and promises to meet up the next time.

So I know where I'll be on Tuesday and Thursday nights, riding my tail off with some real nice guys (and gals).