Coffee and Lies #15

Matthew, KB and El Jefe in warmer times as part of the Peloton of Discovery

Unrelated Update:
A couple things from yesterday's race. The winds were crazy. Sometimes it was smart to be behind the rider in front of you. Sometimes an echelon was in order. I watched the rider in front of me. If I noticed the number on his right side was flapping and the one on the left wasn't moving at all, I moved to the left and listened. I've heard that the best draft is where it is quietest. I thought I was pretty smart.

The Ride:
It rained all night. It bombed. Hottie and I could hear the water rushing down the rain gutters all night long. "You're not going to still ride?" She asked sometime between midnight and five thirty in the morning.

There were four hearty souls all wearing Showers Pass rain jackets that rendezvoused for the weekly ride. KB's goal was a two hour ride, Evo's goal was to chase the lactic acid out of my race-weary legs. Big John may have had greater aspirations, but he is a social guy and was willing to go along with the crowd. Matthew was back in town and it was his birthday; this in combination with the slick roads kept our ride mellow.

We often tell people this is a social ride. It is a ride with three to four parts, one of the parts is the every man for himself throw down. No throw down today.  We just talked as our toes got cold.

Coffee and Lies:
KB threw down the plastic and we toasted Matthew's birthday with coffee that warmed our hands and bellies.

We were glad we rode. Although it rained every minute of the ride; this wasn't an epic that would be spoken of for months or years to come. It was a nice ride in wet conditions that allowed for some male bonding. KB talked about getting a new bike and we all weighed the options. While he conceded that carbon bikes may indeed be faster, there are things more important than going fast.

I asked the group for recommendations for next week's Ronde von Palouse. Should I opt for my tubulars or clinchers? KB had a quick and succinct answer, "It depends on how much you want to pay to fix the flat."  After leaving our sponsor's coffee shop KB made a quick trip home to grab a book he wanted to share.  

This afternoon I took off my tubulars and put on my clinchers. I'll let you know how it goes.