Despite it being a very hot day, the initial pace was fairly high, with some long hard pulls from Mike Wagner and a couple of other riders. By McKendree Road three were off the back. Denzil and the Wheelsucker looped back looking for some of them while the others soft pedaled to the rest stop, but they were gone.
It was a longer stop at the rest stop, cooling off, and refilling water bottles with ice, water and Gatorade.
The group rolled out at a steady pace. Nick got a small gap on the way to North Beach as the group went through a lane closure area on the bumps, but the Wheelsucker was playing very close attention and was on his wheel. The Wheelsucker gave it everything he had on the last short climb before the flat and descent into North Beach, but Nick easily held his wheel and then came around him, before easing up and letting the Wheelsucker back on. The two had a very small gap on the descent into North Beach but everyone caught back on at the red light. It was together all the way to Herrington Harbor and the pace was steady-but-not-bleeding-from-the-eyes on the climb out.
The descent on Fairhaven was fast, with Nick driving the pace on the descent. On a right sweeping turn, Nick passed what he thought was a piece of tree branch in the middle of the road. The next few riders on his wheel probably thought the same.
But it was not a tree branch! It was another terrorist groundhog! The groundhog was waiting for Rick Paukstitus (who is apparently a marked man after the July 4th groundhog encounter) and abandoned his disguise and sprang into action as Rick rolled up. This was an extremely dangerous attack as the small group was going fast on the descent. The groundhogs are demonstrating growing tactical sophistication, and appear to have effective communication in place as the two attacks were widely separated in distance. Fortunately for Rick – and for the Wheelsucker who was following – Rick yelled at the groundhog, momentarily confusing it, and critically delaying the attack. The groundhog missed; the two riders rolled by, the attack was unsuccessful, but the groundhog lived to attack another day.
It appears that the groundhogs are singling out Rick, after the earlier incident resulted in the first groundhog’s death. Their ability to target Rick, to know our ride routes (when most of MABRA and even some ABRTers are unable to figure them out), and the evolving tactics (a brazen attack across the road being unsuccessful, they switched to lying in wait disguised as a piece of branch) are very alarming, even though this second attack was not successful.
After this close call the group stayed together until the wall. Nick led to the wall and launched from the bottom gapping everyone else. Rick P. sprinted out of the second group and closed on Nick, but then dropped back off the top. The Wheelsucker desperately hung on to Mike Faber’s wheel and he took the two up to Nick, who eased up soon after the short climb. At Bay Front Road Mike Wagner had closed right up, almost on a wheel, but apparently sat up after crossing Bay Front Road. The leading three continued, stopping at the service station at route 2 and Harwood for more fluids. Mike and Denzil skipped the second stop and finished the ride. The others regrouped at this second stop and rode steady for the finish line and the P&R. Nick swung off before the finish to head home.
Mike Faber took the last long pull then continued on the front for the line. The Wheelsucker was glued to his rear wheel. Mike launched, the Wheelsucker launched and tried to come around him, but Mike was stronger and won the sprint. The others did not contest it.
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