They Might be Giants

A small but robust gruppo compacto of 10 met at the Bakehouse at 11am today for a Zone 2 ride. A few teams were represented in this ‘friendly’; participants included Fred, Tom, Jason and Liz from the new Scholars Inn Bakehouse program, veterans Wes from Speedway and Mark (dad of Nick) from Gray Goat. Chicago transplant Hannah from Pegasus was there and a guest from Indy came along, Chris. Also, local pros Guy East (Kelly Benefits) and Ryan Knapp (Panther) rolled out with us, sometimes pulling for miles into the wind, chatting casually side by side, as we sat in behind them two by two. We could only imagine what they were discussing; Belgian attacks and epic solo rides to victory, while we worried about the dishes or the laundry waiting for us at home.

It was 33 and overcast when we left and headed out of town. An earlier check of the weather indicated a high of 41 today with slight winds out of the south. We never got to experience that rise though as the cloud cover stayed with us as we headed south to the flashers on 58. At one point, near the county line it began to sleet a bit. Despite the cold temperatures, however, you can tell that there is something in the air and that the racing season is upon us. A few collegians are racing this weekend at Lindsay Wilson and we should be hearing results soon. Some are at ‘training camps’ far south of Bloomington. For those of us left behind, we know the importance of getting in the miles, or riding the rollers and sticking to our plans. Without this early preparation we know that lining up at the early season events of Louisville or Lexington or Hillsboro may end up being expensive training rides instead of possible podium finishes.

Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 60s. There’s a rumor that several riders are planning to visit from Indianapolis and elsewhere. I would recommend that you shave your legs and head on over to the Bakehouse for an 11 am ride-and get ready for a spirited ride!