Audax Tune Up 1, Done and Wrapped

We had a decent turnout for the first of this year’s Audax Tune Up Rides.  The weather was cooperative too!  It was sunny, and unseasonably warm.  My computer showed temps in the mid to upper 60s throughout our trip.  In fact, I left a jacket behind (deliberately) at the start, and never missed it.

Let’s start at the very beginning.

We had a good sized group for one of these.  (In the past, the February edition has been only lightly attended.)  Present were  Steve, Angie, Deborah, Dawn, Diane, Chris, Scott, Aaron, Dan, and your correspondent.  That makes ten to start.  (No suspense and drama here, all starters finished.)

I altered the beginning stretch of the ride to avoid the necessity of tackling the hills, traffic, and narrow road conditions on the north Peachtree Parkway.  I didn’t want to add to the distance, so we tried using the multiuse paths as an alternate route.  This works, but it subjects riders to some incredibly steep climbing.  I warned the group that the first three miles would be the most physically demanding part of the ride.  Turns out I was not exaggerating.

Most road bikes are not well equipped for steep climbs.  Newer riders find hill work very challenging.  I’m happy to report that the entire group cleared this early hurdle and kept going.  No one quit.  No one balked.  No one griped.  Yes there were some comments and gasps, but they were well earned.

So, after an early “admissions test,” the whole group advanced on toward Palmetto.

Geography is huge.  In our area, if one is heading west, away from the Flint River, one is generally climbing.  Palmetto rests on the narrow plateau between the Flint and Chattahoochee valleys.  Continue west from Palmetto, and one descends toward the “Hooch.”  Ride north or south in either of the river valleys, and you constantly encounter the hills and dips carved by the tributary creeks.

So what did we do?  We went west to Palmetto (climbing),  then farther for a while (descending), then back toward the east to Fairburn (climbing), then a bit more east toward Fayetteville (descending with some surprise climbs), then turned south, (lots of short climbs).  I’ve said before, this route is designed to subject the rider to more gain per mile than is found on the actual Audax 200K.  And on this particular sunny Sunday afternoon, we had a lot of charming little headwinds to entertain us too.  In short, the ride was plenty challenging. 

Having said all that, the whole group showed good spirits, lots of mutual care, and especially good traffic manners.  BRAVO!

I’m as proud as I’ve ever been, and completely delighted.  I can not remember a better “first tune up.”