“Ride #32: Hilly Half Century with Mystic Cycle”

(This entry is being posted a week late.)

I finally felt that I was ready for the half century with the Mystic Cycle group this Tuesday (July 6). I showed up a few minutes before 5 PM, right on time, but there were only two other riders. Rick said he'd have to manage the shop so wouldn't be going, and nobody else showed. Of the two that did show, one only went "about once a year," and the other had never been before, so neither of them knew the route. This put me in the odd position of ride leader, if only to keep them from getting lost.

Well, things went fine for the first thirty-five miles or so. They both beat me up the biggest hills, of course, but I was feeling good so didn't lag too far behind. They slowed down at the tops so I could catch up again, and then would fall way behind while I flew down the hills. One of them commented that he couldn't even draft me down the hill. :-)

On Wyassup Road, I was about 1/2 mile ahead of them on the longest downhill stretch of the ride (it's not steep, but it's quite long) when I passed another tall rider who was coming towards me... and wearing the same white "PMC 2003" jersey I had on. We didn't say anything, but we both pointed to our jerseys in surprise, like, "Hey, cool!"

After I passed him, I realized there was a good chance he would take the other fork at the "Y" I had passed through just before I saw him. The other two riders who were following me would see him going the other way, and probably follow him thinking it was me. (He wasn't nearly as big as me, and was on a very different bike, but the identical jersey would be enough to throw them off.) I turned around and went back for them, but it was too late! I couldn't find them anywhere.

I looked and looked, searched a ways back on both sides of the fork, but never found them. What could I do? Not much. With a guilty conscience, I pushed on and finished the ride solo. For all I know, a week later, they're still out there trying to find me (haunting the hills...).

Stats: 54.7 miles (88.06 km) in 3h 8' 4" for an average speed of 17.45 mph (28.09 kph).