Foggy Bottom Boys

Off to Zube on a beautiful Sunday morning, one of those Fall mornings when you're not sure how much to rug up. Standing around in the parking lot I felt pretty comfortable in cycling shorts and a jersey, but some of the other riders had opted for tights and jackets. Paddy looked particularly fetching in a sleeveless jersey and arm warmers. You might almost have fancied he was wearing long evening gloves, on his way to the Opera.

We were definitely an international group, with two Brits, one Australian, two Hispanics, an Anglo-American (Paddy claims to be more American than most real Americans) and an Australian-Scot (Gregor, looking pretty pleased about Scotland's recent rugby win over Australia).

Off we went, with me questioning the wisdom of my wardrobe selection every time we rode through shade. I warmed up soon enough, until we ran into some pretty thick fog, and stayed in it for a good five miles. Not only did the temperature drop by several degrees, we were also really nervous about traffic and for once observed good lane discipline.

We broke out of the fog just at the turn-off for the gas station where we take a break, and stayed in the sunshine for the rest of the run. With about ten miles to go Alex took the lead and set a cracking pace. I was number two man in the line and velcroed myself to his rear wheel, knowing that if I lost touch I'd never get back on again at that speed. Alex pulled us for a good three miles before peeling off. Soon after that, Gregor flatted and we pulled over to stand around and watch him change out the tube. Mike pointed out that changing a tube was a bit like sex - it's hard to do it well when there are a lot of people watching.

We got rolling again with only a few miles to run. The pace cranked up once more and I decided to let the speedsters have their heads. Gregor was hanging back, too, because he wasn't sure his tube was up to pressure and didn't want to corner too hard for fear of rolling the tire off the wheel. Back at Zube for some photos like this one. Paddy is actually trying to show off his Mules tattoo, not just his impressive biceps.

Mules and Wannabes

A great start to the training season this morning, with a 45 mile run out of Zube in a big group. Paddy was there of course, with Gregor, Brooke and Alex from work, and a few others too. Pretty good conditions when we started and it was fun to meet and chat with new riders in the early going. A bit further on the group fragmented as some of the chaps stopped for what is called "un besoin naturel" in French cycling. Gregor, Brooke, Scott and I kept going at a pretty good clip but were eventually reeled in. The chasing group proceeded to kick up the pace and I found myself working very hard to stay on the lead rider's wheel. Fortunately we reached the Exxon pretty quickly. A good break and the usual exchange of war stories and examinations of each other's bikes (always looks like two dogs sniffing each other) and then we were off, with a head wind to fight. I was feeling my oats a bit and decided to challenge the group on one of the climbs. I blew past Paddy with a big smirk but eased up too soon and lost the King of the Mountains points to Gregor. The group got fragmented again but this time we decided to re-form and rode in together. One last sprint in the final mile left me gasping as the others vanished into the distance but all in all it was a great day.

Back home to a great lunch prepared by my wonderful spouse, a quick nap and then off to IAH to collect James, who's in town for a few days. Not too long before we have a house-full again -