Sunday was the day for the first
of this year’s longer Audax Tune Up
Rides. This was one for the
books.
It was a truly good and great
ride. This was one where
everything meshed and just went along to near perfection. It was all right: the right people, the right route, the
right conditions, the right day, the right bikes, great attitudes, old friends,
and much good fun.
The Stats:
Distance: 71.2 miles (more on that later)
Elevation Gain: 4200+ feet of climbing
Average Speed: 12.8 mph (rolling average)
Present for the ride were (in no
particular order) Janey, Victoria,
Aaron, Chris, and me.
The Day did not look
auspicious at the start. It was
grey, and had been raining. At
ride start there was still a very light mist/drizzle. This cleared before we crossed out of Pechtree City. The threatened rain never did show. Most of the day, it was cloudy, but the
grey skies did little to dampen enthusiasm.
The forecast was for a high a bit
above 60F, sometime around 4:00 PM.
The early part of the ride did
seem to warm a bit, but then, the temp actually felt like it was dropping. Perhaps this was due to rising winds
and a lot of descending in the mid-section of the route. Things did seem to warm a bit on our return leg, and we actually saw some
patches of blue sky as we re-entered Peachtree City.
In sum, conditons were good
enough, and we were all prepared to meet them. Success!
The Company was about
as good as anyone could ask for.
It’s a rare thing to be able to go out with five riders who are
compatible, and willing to bend to a common goal. This was one of those days. Everyone got along famously, with a lot of grinning, joking,
and laughter. Good fellowship and
camaraderie were the themes for the day.
I should note, Janey had a wonder
GPS gadget with her. This
thing is a marvel. It doesn’t do
as much navigating as my old and faithful Garmin
Etrex, but it supplies a truly amazing wealth of information. In fact, sometimes a bit too much inormation. One of this device’s features is an
inclinometer function, that reads out in current grade percentage. Janey was delighted to let us know just
how steep any particular climb was.
i.e. “Hey! This is a 7% grade!”
That went on until I mentioned
that there were certain bits of information that I did not want to know. I’m
really happier if I don’t know how
cold it is, or how steep it is. I
mentioned this, and Janey immediately said she would be happy to not tell me, but that if I ever really wanted to know, just ask!
Then she waited until another good climb came up and she asked me what the grade was.
(Gig!)
The Route was almost my standard 65 mile Tune Up
Loop. I think it’s interesting to
note that this loop compares to the famous Triple
Gap. The aforesaid is 53 miles around, and gains 5200
feet. On this day we rode a bit
more than 70 miles and gained over 4200 feet. (I’ve said I picked this thing deliberately for its hilly terrain.)
A bit of
explanation is wanted. This ride
is advertised as a 65 mile “Tune Up.”
So how did we get to 71.2 miles?
Well the answer is fairly simple.
We were having fun. We
arrived at the last planned stop in good order. Then I had a brain-flash. I did not want to
take the final route, did not want to
go to Flat Creek Trail, did not want
to face the climb up the “Beast.”
And I most especially was not
looking forward to the grind up the hill on GA-54. The group was riding along well, and in good spirits,
so… I changed my plan.
Instead of going
South and west, I turned a bit. We
went via an alternate route.
(Actually pieces of three
alternate routes.) We went south
for a bit, and then north, and then some east, before turning back toward
Peachtree City. It avoided some
more traffic, and lo and behold, we arrived back home, laughing and joking all
the way.
In Summary:
This was one of the great ones.
The compnay was great, the weather was tolerable, the route treated us
well, and fun was had by all. I
can hardly wait for the next 65 mile
Tune Up on 14 April, or the full-on Audax
200K on 28 April.
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