One more, one down. A freezing cold Sunday morning.
7:30, 2C. PyZahl had put on his long cold weather suit again, one extra insulation layer than the day before. Riding LRPL, NC... towards Port Jeff, the sun just visible at a few open spots, just cold, he was spinning and moving quite good, what helped to warm up, and if only a little. However, the layering seamed just right. He got to the start early, as moving faster than planned. But there was already little going on and some riders showed already up -- in there cars. Py looked for a tree in the back... Eat a few bites of a freaking cold and hard Cliff Bar, hard to get down, sucks. Stowed the remainings away in his rear pocked -- for later on the ride. The usual faces showed up by the time it got closer to 8:30. The slower A group had left the plot. Sitting in the sun felt good, he was debating to take that one extra layer off, but did not. Time to roll. The usual run up and down on NC to RP and further via WR to Wildwood SP and out on Sound Ave, fast and no stop until the 1st light on the turn out east onto Sound Ave. Some using that stop for peeling off a layer, Py don't, felt just fine.
Flying out East on Sound. Py following one of the two Babylon riders, getting up to position three and then two -- for a long time. This riders are incredible, strong and fast -- just by looking how they are build, scary. That duo on front of him pulled out almost all the way
on sound, into the wind at warp speed around 22..23mph -- some how great, but you need to know, even not pulling, the third and especially the second position takes noticeable more power to hang on than more behind. Then, turning into Osborne, with that tail wind component, he still sitting at position two, speed went up to 26..30mph. Working hard and enjoying the flight. Approaching the light, the second quick stop was in sight, he grabbed his (still hard frozen, even in his rear pocked) Cliff Bar and tried to chew it some how, at least a tiny little two bites of it, hard to eat, still that chewy stuff in between his teeth and trying to dissolve it with some sips of (by the time also cold) drink, did not worked out so well, the light turned green and he had to hang on, quickly stowing the remaining food away in his pocket. Still working on that chewy stuff -- that sucks. Seams like there is a point in having that gels... But he was OK, as his bottle #1 had a little heavier mix of sustained energy. The ride proceeded at a good pace and for one further long section on South St. he got up to position two again. He did not took long pulls, just for few to 10 seconds or so, but participated in the rotation, as this makes it so much more fun than just hanging out at the tail. Working hard, on Main St. he really felt some pain but kept going for the last little pull, drifting back to the end and trying to hang on. That suddenly was hard as some one took over with a fast pull -- damn it, a little gap and this seamed hard to catch up. He lost them, but was able to keep them in sight with a almost constant gap until the turn into the winding E.Bartlett. He worked hard and saw them again, almost got them by seconds, at the light on 25 and followed the group very close, but just not close enough to catch up and hang on. As they turned onto Miller Pl. Mt. Sinai Coram Rd into the wind -- he lost them, no way, impossible -- so what, he just rode all the way back to NC and home on his own, a good tough ride -- 110km for Py.
