The 31st annual El Tour de Tucson was my first ever mass start and it quite the ride! Wet and cold were the defining words of the ride. Rule #5 was mantra. I was wearing wool socks with bags over them, tights, underarmor shirt, leg warmers, arm warmers, long sleeve jersey, bib shorts, a rain jacket, and pants sprayed with waterproofing stuff. And I still was soaked through to the skin within the first 45 minutes! It was so cold (I am so poorly insulated) that there were times when I had to use my whole hand to shift since my fingers lost mobility.
Friends Mike and Dustin were also riding that morning and so I made a point of finding them in the lineup and rode with them as we started. After spending some time with them I began to pick up the speed, soon found a solid paceline and fell in. Despite having lost my speedometer a couple of days before I still think its fair to say that it was a pretty good pace. They were solid riders and also friendly, taking turns pulling and all the good stuff. Maybe cruising around 20mph or so. But I was beginning to get cold, the bags on my feet were doing more harm than good and I decided I could really go for a banana right about then. I pulled off at the next aid station. Although I didn't stay long I lost the group.
Riding alone sucked. Sure there were still lots of other riders, and sure it was great to pass people, but I really just wanted a wheel to watch. Even if it did mean getting water and road gunk thrown directly into my mouth.
Eventually I did manage to find another group, but at some point lost them as well. As you can see in the pictures there was a section in which we had to dismount and walk the bikes through a wash, which in normal Tucson times would be dry but in this case was not so much. At various points in the rest of the ride I found and lost a couple different groups of varying degrees of skill, groupthink, and speed.
In the end I am happy to say that I am happy with the ride. Through the harsh weather I rode hard and made a good time. I had no mechanical issues (or at least no debilitating ones). If I had gotten a flat I doubt my fingers could have been able to open my saddlebag. let alone get a tire on! I do think I could've done a bit better. Maybe didn't need quite as many breaks as I took, but of course its easy to say that a week out sitting in this comfy red couch. I am also convinced though that having a partner to push and push against could've made up a lot of time. Next race I'm determined to have a riding buddy!
In other news, Porch Fests, specifically the Dunbar Springs one, are awesome!!! Some of my fav's were people like Mik Garrison. His Words was really cool. Especially live!
Kiri of Aztral Folk was also there earlier in the day. Heres a small smaple.
But there has also been so much other stuff to tell you all about! Thanksgiving was great! I had three (3!) thanksgiving dinners with turkey potatoes, and all the good stuff. First with Casa Mariposa et. al. then with the Shalom crowd for lunch on Thursday, and then with my cousins and Aunt and Uncle for dinner! What a wonderful time with wonderful people.
And last but far from least; I recently got a tandem!
And while this may seem simply like news of yet another bike in Tyler's quest to fulfill Rule #12, I assure you there is more to it than just that! If you haven't figured out why yet, take another look at the raceday photos.
If you haven't figured it out yet... I'll just happily tell you that Emma, one of my best friends and I, have recently started dating and intend to use the aforementioned tandem to its fullest potential!
And so, with that I am calling it a night. Consider yourself updated.
Until next time,
Groffsdale.
