Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut; Sometimes You Don't

I love Tuesday Worlds (weekly group rides) for lots of reasons.  One of the main ones is that I ride with many guys who are stronger riders than I am, which only makes me stronger.  The crazy thing is that on any given week, I never know exactly how I'm going to perform.  Some weeks I start out feeling pretty icky but wind up riding well.  Other weeks I feel pretty good but get dropped like a hot potato.

Last Tuesday I wasn't expecting to do particularly well.  I had a good bit of volume from the weekend (200K brevet on Saturday and a 53-mile solo ride on Sunday) plus my regular Monday spin class.  As Tuesday Worlds progressed, however, I felt better and better.  In fact, I attacked up two different climbs.  I never attack; my goal is always just to hang on as long as possible.  I was grateful for a strong ride that day and realized that I was in great form for the state TT championship the following Saturday.

We do the same ride every Tuesday, and there are a few spots along the route where I'm vulnerable.  They are generally at turns where the group accelerates.  If there is a downhill just after the turn, that's the worst; the guys are generally heavier than I am and simply descend more quickly.  I concentrate as we approach these tough spots.  Each time I successfully navigate one, I feel more confident about staying with the group until the end.  The route is a lollipop with the first and last five or so miles covering the same roads.  If I can make it back to the big rollers on the return trip on Zebulon Road, I'm usually in good shape because I can hold my own on the climbs.  The key is to get to that point.

I didn't do so on today's Tuesday Worlds.  I'm not shocked that I got dropped tonight (it was a pretty tough ride, and the state TT this past Saturday was a big effort for me), but for a long time I thought I would hang in there.  After making it through the first few difficult spots, I was even thinking about very non-cycling stuff while I rode (what would be a good, professional looking outfit to wear to an important client meeting later this week).  Alas, it was not to last.  I got dropped at my final vulnerable point.  Oh, well - I kept a steady tempo pace as I rode the rest of the route by myself and enjoyed the lovely late August evening.

If I could bottle that cycling mojo, I'd make a mint.