That stands for Post-Traumatic Detour Disorder, but I kid. The route of this year's De Tour de Connecticut was the same pleasant route as years' past (mostly) and the weather was beautiful, but the pace was bordering on traumatic at times. And since I don't ever want to consult a cue sheet, I hung with the lead group all the way until we rejoined the Air Line Trail in Goodwin State Forest. I probably would have hung longer (despite my growing opposition to the pace), but I got a stick in my wheel and didn't have the fortitude to sprint back up to the group. I rode the airline trail back into Willimantic in solitary and found about half of the lead group at the spring. We also picked up two riders and I couldn't figure out how they got to the Spring before me, because they never passed me. Shortcut.
We got some quasi-substantial food in Willimantic center, Lance smoked a cigarette and we were off once again. We rode the new section of the Airline Trail that a farmer had tried to appropriate by adverse possession for several years (can't acquire property from the state by adverse possession (public policy reasons) & the state can't acquire property by adverse possession either (that's a taking under the 5th Amendment)). The false flat into East Hampton never gets any easier.
We stopped at the library to fill water bottles, pee and wash faces. I was eating WAY better this year and finally conquered Champion Hill without blowing up. I was surprised to discovered that it's not actually that steep of hill when you still have some energy in your body. I parted ways in the Meshomasic and rode home.
I'm not sure who ended up finishing with Salem, but they must have beat last year's time by like a half an hour. According to Strava, even my laughing group (after my leaving) finished in under 9 hours. It took me about 10 hours because I rode out to the start.
Then, I showered and drove to New York to go run as one on Sunday.
4 comments:
I too bailed for Hartford post Mesh. Was a splendid day and route, although the lead group pace did damp my spirits a bit. Rode solo for the rest of the ride after taking leave of the group at the Airline Trail.
I'm going to lobby for an expedition pace 2nd group from the start next year. That way I can ride, and chat - with less wheezing.
Now it's time to sleep off this chest cold that decided the Detour was an opportune excuse to start a hostile takeover.
The expedition pace group has always existed; you just never looked around to find out. That's the whole point of a cued ride over a led ride: everyone gets to ride their own pace unless testosterone gets in the way. Then again, that seems to get in the way of a lot of stuff.
It's funny.
After we ate, we rode a pretty good pace line through the rest of the Airline Trail.
You need more pictures of leather bags and wool on the detour blog to get the randoneurs to show up.
Yeah. The discomfort followed by solo hours was self imposed. Now that I've ridden the route a couple of times, I'll be less concerned with getting totally F-ing lost, or spending an inordinate amount of time trying to decide if I'm on the right most worn path.
Nearly killed off all my testosterone decision making, but there are still some vestiges.
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