I rode solo yesterday, but ended up going harder than I had planned. So today my legs were urging me to stay home and let them be. But with the rain gone, and temps in the 70s, the rest of me over-ruled my legs and off we went for the Friday ride.
I’m glad I did. The Friday rides have been a little inconsistent in terms of drawing a group. But today there was an excellent gaggle of riders gathered at the start. The Mayor was present and accounted for. Bam-Bam rolled up. Bomber was waiting. A DC Velo rider I hadn’t met before, who recounted a miserable-sounding May Everesting experience in the Catoctins, showed up. Even POC-e-mon, who usually picks up the ride at Seven Locks, was ready to roll. So off we went, at a perfect Friday pace—which is to say very relaxed and plenty of chatting. My legs were mollified.
That was all fine, but when we got to Seven Locks PowerBoy was waiting for us. The ride was about to change. PowerBoy is an excellent rider, and he has been known to ride to a power meter number. Which means he is sometimes out front (usually on flats and downhills), sometimes behind (on climbs), wherever his power meter takes him. What is more important is that he is a diesel, and super-steady in his effort. He rarely surges, and never wastes a watt. When he is out riding there is no coasting and sitting up. His body is always putting out consistent power. It’s kind of amazing to see.
Today, that meant PowerBoy was out front a lot, driving the train. Everest sometimes got out there, but PowerBoy would usually be back on point in short order. We rolled with him through Kentsdale, and up River. On Persimmon things got real. If you are going 25 on Persimmon, you are cruising. If you are going 30 you are working. PowerBoy was laying it down, and when I glanced at my Garmin it showed 32. At 30-plus you make it a little less enticing for anyone to pull through. But PowerBoy doesn’t care. He is riding his bike, putting out whatever wattage feels good to him, and if that takes him out front, no biggie. At one point I asked him what power number he was riding to. “I'm just riding by feel,” he replied. “I’ll tell you the number after the ride.” “You must feel good,” I said.
So it went on Oaklyn as well. I pulled through a few times. Everest pulled through a few times. But it was never long before PowerBoy came churning by to resume his place at the front. We were going hard enough that I sat in on all of Falls trying to husband energy for GF Park. Which I then didn’t really use, because when we got to the park, it seemed like most of the ride sat up and let PowerBoy and Everest ride off on the descent. I should have just continued with them, but when lots of riders look to be short-cutting I can’t help wondering what they know and I don’t. I eased up. Bam-Bam went around to follow and do the full descent and climb. And Bomber went too. The Mayor had stopped at the entrance, so POC-e-mon and I decided to shortcut and ride easy on the climb out. When we got back to The Mayor we all started rolling slowly down Anglers figuring the others would catch up quick enough.
The plan was to go left on Stable Lane, and then get back to Mac via Brickyard. We paused at Stable Lane to make sure the others took the turn with us. After we were all back together again PowerBoy of course came by and got us all working again. The reward for all of this was a fast rotation on Clara Barton, which is always a welcome highlight. After the Glen Echo exit, the group went left on Wilson and I rode Mac all the way home. Usually, I take it easy and have a relaxed warm-down. But in honor of PowerBoy and his impressive work I rode hard and steady. No watts wasted.
Relative Effort: 112 (“Tough”)
Miles Ridden This Year: 1946
Strava Fitness #: 56 (Ugh. Gotta get back up into the 60s)
Remembering Jay Moglia: The DMV cycling community lost one of the greats this week, when Jay Moglia was struck down by a heart attack while on the bike. Jay was a completely unique human: a former racer; proprietor of The Barn (the region’s best cycling hideaway); musician; garrulous philosopher and storyteller. There will be a memorial ride for him tomorrow. It is hard to capture how special he was. But this video perhaps gives a sense of who he was.
Ride on, Jay. I will sorely miss you.
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