Peach Peloton

Winter training rides in Macon are known as the Peach Peloton.  From November through about the first weekend in February, we build our base, riding increasingly longer distances and adding intensity.  It’s an excellent way to practice group riding techniques.  Also, I get to know my cycling friends better this time of year because, unlike at Tuesday/Thursday Worlds during Daylight Saving Time, we can actually carry on a conversation while we ride.  This past Saturday was a great kickoff to Peach Peloton season.

It was a brisk start to our ride!  I shivered a lot for the first five or ten miles, but then I warmed up.  That meant I had dressed about right for the weather.  At the first part of the ride, the temperature was 45 degrees.  When I checked my Garmin thermometer again about half an hour later, it was 57 degrees!  I was amazed at how quickly the temperature rose.  It was in the low 60s by the time we finished early in the afternoon.  Not balmy, but really not too bad – good for developing toughness.  Besides, it makes me appreciate spring and summer.

The dynamics truly are different at PP than at Worlds.  The whole point is to ride with the group.  That means that sometimes you have to ride in a way that seems a little counterintuitive.  For example, if it’s your turn to pull, you should take it easier on the uphills and go harder on the downhills.  This keeps the group together better and provides a much smoother, more efficient ride.  Some of the riders on Saturday didn’t quite have the hang of this, but I hope that as we continue over the coming weeks, our rides will get even better.

About half way into our ride, we rode over Hog Mountain near Barnesville.  I’ve heard about Hog Mountain during PP in previous years, but I don’t think I had ever climbed it before.  Sometimes, I do a shorter route when I can’t keep up the guys’ pace for the whole distance, and I guess that previously I always turned off before they climbed Hog Mountain.  Apparently, there are three ways you can ride over Hog Mountain with varying degrees of steepness.  On Saturday we picked the middle one.  Actually, it didn’t seem like a very significant climb to me.  I don’t know whether that’s because Jake (ride leader) did such a good job controlling the pace or because my fitness is currently good – probably both.  Also, I was amused by a dog that followed us all the way up our climb.  Fortunately, this was a nice dog, not an aggressive one wreaking havoc.  It was some kind of Australian shepherd mix who truly looked like he was trying to shepherd the peloton up Hog Mountain.

Here’s to Peach Peloton for 2014-2015!