The Wheelsucker Picks the Wrong (or Maybe it was the Right) Rock Creek Park Ride

There are two Saturday Rock Creek Park rides:

The 7:00am ride starts from Beach Drive and East West Highway, uses Clara Barton Parkway (very fast), has a very hard fast climb on McArthur, but the majority of the riders that cannot hang with the rock stars on this climb (and two more) bypass a climb and wait at a regroup point. There is a sprint point and the ride normally eases up from there.

The 10:00am (ish) starts at a gate well south on Beach Drive, but rolls by Beach Drive and East West Highway at roughly 10:15am. It works its way north out of Rock Creek park and eventually out Tuckerman and a few more “in town” roads at a steady pace and then becomes a full on drop-your-buddies-or-just-hang-on-as-long-as-you-can race after a right turn onto a less travelled road, which has some rollers where the ride blows up.

Yes Virginia, you can ride both.

The Wheelsucker has done the 7:00am a couple of times and enjoyed it. He has also done the 10:00am a few times, but only hung with the lead group once. But the Wheelsucker was looking for some intensity and a shorter ride, so decided on the 10:00am Rock Creek instead of Davidsonville.

He parked at the soccer fields at Beach Drive and East West Highway, and rode the route backwards until he saw a likely group or riders coming north on Beach Drive. But it was a smaller group of just over twenty riders. And instead of the crowd of Battley Harley riders, Haymarket riders and DC Velo riders the Wheelsucker was familiar with, there were just two guys wearing Haymarket shorts and Battley/Harley jerseys (does anyone think these teams are REALLY separate?). The Wheelsucker did a quick U-turn and sprinted on to the back of the train and then worked his way into the group where he could hide. Since he saw that the group was rather smaller with the prominent MABRA strong men who usually do this ride conspicuous by their absence, the Wheelsucker asked to make sure it was the correct ride and group. And it was; just without the usual strong men. Apparently a number were at the Wilmington Grand Prix and a lot of others had done the 7:00am ride.

The Wheelsucker knows that the ride doesn’t actually “go” until the right turn onto a low traffic road. But being paranoid the Wheelsucker is never certain, and was careful to stay near the front and close gaps before they grow too large – anything over about 2 bikelengths – for the Wheelsucker to close himself. But this means that the Wheelsucker sooner or later ends up taking a pull.

Since he was riding near the front, the Wheelsucker never actually saw anyone go OTB. It was more that the group became smaller over time. And riders the Wheelsucker remembered riding with earlier, were no longer with the group.

The two Haymarket/Battley Harley riders were apparently plotting how they were going to shatter the group, so the Wheelsucker was careful to not take too many pulls, or pull too hard, and tried to stay on or near one of their wheels. There were moments the Wheelsucker had to dig to stay on a wheel, but he made it past the fearsome rollers, still with the group. And as the ride continued the Wheelsucker slowly started to believe that he might make it to the finish with the lead group. The two Haymarket/Battley Harley riders were taking good solid pulls, and a few other riders including the Wheelsucker were also taking pulls, but no one was looking super strong. And then the two Haymarket/Battley Harley riders called it a day and pulled off. The group was down to about six or seven and the Wheelsucker suspected he was one of the strongest three riders left. Growing less worried about being suddenly dropped, the Wheelsucker started taking longer pulls and then found himself pulling through on the climbs and leading to the top. So the Wheelsucker tried driving the pace almost as hard as an aging Wheelsucker can go at the top of a climb 1:30 or so into a ride. But when he sneaked a peak behind him they were on his wheel. Maybe he shook someone loose, but the stronger guys were right there.
The ride down Tuckerman Lane is always fun. The Wheelsucker jumped and drove hard in the right lane, but was passed by someone who sprinted for the back of an SUV and took the two most of the way down Tuckerman. That’s a move the Wheelsucker is not yet ready to try.

Once back in Rock Creek park, the Wheelsucker was feeling good (and cocky) and got really low and aero and took a decent 300+ watt pull, but as he eased up for a red light the rider behind him (the remains of the group were all still there) told him they usually eased up in Rock Creek park. So a chastened Wheelsucker eased up and rode easy back to East West Highway and his car.

So the question remains, was this surprisingly easy Rock Creek park 10:00am ride the right ride, or should the Wheelsucker have done the 7:00am?

Wheelsucker Data:
Distance: 43.12 miles
Time: 2:04
Speed: 20.91 average, 42.59 maximum
Power: 196 watts average, 826 maximum, 267 normalized
Cadence: 92 rpm average
Best 5 second power: 699 watts
Best 30 second power: 582 watts
Best 5 minute power: 283 watts