When I took up cycling a little over 4 years ago, I had no idea I would enjoy it to this degree, let alone that I would become as insane as the guys who inspired me to start. Nonetheless, last weekend I completed my fourth Tour of the Scioto River Valley, a 2-day, 200-mile ride between Columbus and Portsmouth, Ohio.
This year we had 14 riders start, on 3 tandems and 8 singles. One of the tandems was a pair of college freshmen who had ridden it with us before. This year they had about 16 miles of training between them, so completing half of the ride was a pretty impressive accomplishment for them. One of the singles was a coworker and friend who managed to complete his first century on Saturday, then ran into a bit of tire trouble early on Sunday which gave him adequate reason to bail out, especially given his concern that he would otherwise be holding up the group. Since we had a support driver meeting us in Portsmouth on Saturday and then at the first two rest stops on Sunday, the three of them had means of getting home, each with a sense of having accomplished much, if not all they might have set out to do.
Weather on this ride is generally hit or miss. This year it was a home run. Gorgeous both days, and if it was a little chilly to start on Sunday, we were all prepared for it. Tailwind all the way down on Saturday, though that was a challenging headwind - stronger than forecast - on the way back on Sunday. Effective group riding on the way back on Sunday helped, and though I was perhaps a bit of weak link for a bit, I recovered well for the final push coming in.
Overall, my average speed for the two days was higher than for any past century, and higher than all but one of my training rides this year.
Now if we can just get through this busy month with a few more riding opportunities so as not to lose the progress I've made.
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