Bluebonnet Local

Last Sunday was the Bluebonnet Express ride, a very popular event that covers a lot of familiar terrain in Waller County.  Jorge was riding too so once again we car-pooled.  He likes to live it up a little on Saturday nights so I suggested he pick me up at 7.00, which also gave me a bit more time to get ready.

By the time we reached the Waller exit on 290 there was already a long line of cars.  We finally parked up with about 10 minutes to spare before the start.  I had already registered for the ride and Paddy had picked up my t-shirt and bib, so I went to find him while Jorge registered.

There was a good group of Mules at the Stable, all geared up and raring to go.  I told Paddy not to wait for us, as we were planning different routes anyway - Paddy was going to ride the full distance, 75 miles, I was planning 55, already a step up from my usual training runs.  I met up with Jorge back at the car and we saddled up.  Most of the riders had already gone and we rolled through the start without any delay.

It was a beautiful morning, with wildflowers a-plenty, and Jorge and I were in fine spirits as we cruised down the blacktop.  We spent the first half-hour passing everyone in sight before reality and a strong cross-wind set in.  But we felt strong enough to pass the first rest stop, which was already 13 miles into the ride.

We eventually turned north and into the wind, on the rolling route from Monaville to Hempstead.  We shared the lead quite well, and then got passed by a group of four riders.  Jorge jumped on their wheel and we kicked up the pace a bit.  The group included one man and three women, all riding very strongly.  I held back for a few rotations but then, feeling guilty, offered to take a pull.  Pretty soon I found myself at the front, just as we reached a downhill/uphill section.  Not surprisingly the group split apart (it's very hard to stay together when climbing) and Jorge and I were on our own once more.

The road took us past the Waller County fairgrounds and then we made the left onto Business 290 and into Hempstead.  There were a few sharpish rollers to negotiate before we reached the next rest stop in the outlet mall.  It was surprisingly quiet for such a big ride, I hardly had to wait for the porta-potty at all.  We had a good break - Jorge was feeling it a bit - and then set out on very familiar roads.

We made the turn on Laneview and basically rode our usual Zube route in reverse.  The wildflowers were spectacular along here, some of the riders actually stopped to take photos.  After a few miles we turned north and off the Zube route.  I was staring to get sore and tired and I think Jorge was too.  Some of the roads were very rough, which didn't help.

Eventually we turned south and passed the last rest stop, giving us 11 miles to go.  We had a few more climbs but nothing serious and pretty soon we were back at the start.  We cruised by the Mules Stable but no-one was in yet (they were all doing the longer routes!), so we went back to the car, changed and then drove back to the Stable.  Still nobody home, so we got food (pretty good chopped bbq sandwich) and went back to the Stable.  Riders started to come in, led by Ryan and Taylor, and before long we had a full complement, drinking beers and swapping war stories.

Back home, and another beer and a nap hit the spot.

climb like a Colombian

Two rides were on offer this weekend - an organised ride out of Magnolia on Saturday, and a Mules outing to Chappell Hill on Sunday. I was leaning towards the Magnolia ride, as it would be a chance to ride further than the usual 45 mile Zube loop, and I knew that Chappell Hill would be tough, with lots of climbs. But the weather looked dicey and Jorge wanted to ride on Sunday (so that he could party on Friday night). In the end I chose Chappell Hill, but I regretted it several times during the ride when I was in my granny gear going into a strong wind.

Jorge offered to drive to the start and duly picked me up at 6.15am. It turned out that while he hadn't been drinking the night before, he'd stayed up until 2am with his friends and was rolling on three hours of sleep. Chappell Hill is a small town a bit west of where we usually ride. We overshot the turn-off on 290 but arrived at 7.15 for the 7.30 start - but no sign of Paddy. I called him on his cell, only to have him tell me that we weren't starting until 8am (despite an email earlier in the week that specified 7.30) When he finally arrived he also parked up at a different spot to what he'd said in his email, leading to more confusion and opportunities for verbal abuse.

still smiling

We finally assembled for the start and I could see that I'd be the tail gunner today, with Greg, Shawn, Barry and Paul all looking very strong. The route runs more or less north-south and there was a strong wind out of the south, meaning an easier ride out and a tough one home. Once we were on the road it was clear that there were no easy options - we got into some climbs almost from the get-go. The wildflowers are already looking good, particularly the bluebonnets, but there weren't many opportunities to admire them, as we were either flying downhill or grinding up. Everyone looked strong and I was definitely falling back on the climbs, but was able to catch up on the downhills. We regrouped about 15 miles out for a photo-op. I took the pics and got everyone smiling by making a rude comment about Shawn's luxuriant mutton chop whiskers. A few more climbs and we turned into Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park, the halfway point on this route. This site is known as the Birthplace of Texas because the Declaration of Independence was signed here in 1836. After a good break we saddled up, stopping briefly for another photo-op in front of a bluebonnet patch. 

Once out on the road we quickly felt the wind. No more coasting on the downhills, I had to pedal hard to get enough gear so that I could climb the other side. I was trying to get as far into the big ring as I could on the descents and then shifting straight onto my middle chain wheel once the hill began to bite. The group split pretty quickly, but Greg was good enough to hang back to give directions to us slowcoaches. At one point I was in a group with Jorge, Phil and Tina and we worked together well, but I found a bit more strength on one of the climbs, and when I looked back I saw I'd dropped the others. I didn't want to be antisocial but I knew that I had to ride at my own pace if I was going to make it to the end. Eventually I stopped at the top of a climb and waited for the others. Paddy was also behind so it was good to regroup. We set out once more with nine miles to run. Phil, Tina and Greg set the pace and soon dropped us. I dropped Jorge and Paddy on a climb and didn't see them again, despite getting pretty tired. By now I was moving onto the granny ring on the bigger climbs and was actually in my bottom gear a couple of times. Finally the Chappell Hill water tower appeared, but there was still some climbing left in the ride, and I struggled through the downtown area fully expecting to get passed by the various dog walkers and Sunday strollers on the sidewalk.

 Back at the cars, the speed gang had changed out of their cycling gear and were indulging in the usual post-ride banter. I pulled up and asked if anyone fancied doing it all again - Barry was up for it but wanted to change his shirt first. Paddy and Jorge rolled up a few minutes later. We cracked open some beers (not Paddy, he still has 30 lbs to lose) and christened our new Mules coozies, courtesy of Le Patron.

So Jorge the Colombian got a chance to show off his climbing chops (Colombia has lots of mountains)!  He did well until he started getting cramps.