The chase and catch done, the Wheelsucker sat in at the back to recover. It was a medium sized group with a number of familiar riders including Ace, Denzill, Alex, Rick, Tom, Brian W., Steve, Mike, Bob, and several more riders the Wheelsucker did not know by name.
The Wheelsucker was not feeling super fresh or strong – the truth is that at his advanced age the Wheelsucker NEVER feels super fresh and strong – but he was determined to try to go from the bottom of Harwood Hill. It may strike the reader as strange for a wheelsucker – and particularly THIS Wheelsucker – to jump away from the group, but the Wheelsucker saw this as a defensive move. He felt so vulnerable to strong riders accelerating off the top of Harwood Hill – as they often did – that he wanted to try getting a gap at the bottom of the climb and keeping just enough of it that he could catch wheels as the strong riders accelerated off the top.
The Wheelsucker was unable to avoid rotating to the front at some point, so did take a short pull on the way to Harwood Hill. A chance compliment from another rider, “I like following you, you are really steady and don’t go hard on the climbs” was probably quite revealing, in that that is all the Wheelsucker can do.
After his short pull the Wheelsucker pulled off and came part way back until someone let him in. He held that position as the group rolled the last bit to Harwood Hill, and across the bridge, and just as the climb started, the Wheelsucker launched!
It seemed like a hard blistering decisive strong-man attack to the Wheelsucker; after all, it was as hard as he could go, standing and hammering. Alex Pline was on the front of the group, probably hoping for a steady pace up Harwood, so the Wheelsucker DID get a gap, and initially the gap was opening. The Wheelsucker tried to avoid spiking his power, and alternated standing for the steeper sections and sitting when it was less steep. But he felt the power fading part way up the climb. Then, on the steeper section before the flat bit before the last steep section, a relaxed Jeff Chun easily passed and gapped the Wheelsucker. Deflated, the Wheelsucker felt whatever was left in his legs and lugs draining out of him. He was unable to ramp it up and follow Jeff, and could only gasp for air as he tried to keep going. And then Rick and another rider rolled up to and past the Wheelsucker on the last steep section. The Wheelsucker was able to latch onto their wheels, but could not respond when the really strong riders accelerated off the top, and could only watch as Ace, Denzill, Mike and Brian opened a gap, and closed in on Jeff.
While some riders were dropped – major droppage per one FB post -- others caught on to the Wheelsucker’s group from behind and very soon a desperate chase was organized, with the Wheelsucker latched on to the back and gasping for air.
A rider wearing a United Healthcare jersey took a long hard pull (which may have closed the gap slightly, but did little for the Wheelsucker’s recovery), but that rider missed the back of the bus after pulling off. Rick Paukstitus and Bob Walters both took pulls, before pulling off. Then Steve rotated to the front and put in a long hard pull with the Wheelsucker latched on to his rear wheel. When the Wheelsucker looked around briefly as they coasted into the right turn onto the route 2 shoulder, it was just the two of them. The Wheelsucker took a couple of short hard pulls, but had to rely on Steve to do the “heavy lifting”. Steve was magnificent, driving the pace to the right turn onto Polling House, through the left turn onto South Polling House and miraculously closing the gap to the lead group shortly before the last descent on South Polling House, before the stairstep climb.
Seconds later the group hit the first of the steps and as the power ramped up a gasping not-recovered Wheelsucker knew he was in big trouble. Next to him Steve – having made a huge effort – was also unable to respond to the pace. Ace, Denzill and Jeff started to ease away, with Mike and Brian dangling, and Steve and the Wheelsucker a little further back.
By the top of the climb and the right turn onto Bayard it was over; the lead three had a gap on Mike and Brian, while Steve and the Wheelsucker were just close enough to the other two that Steve could close the gap with a cross-eyed-and-blowing-snot-bubbles Wheelsucker hanging on to his wheel.
It was now four chasing three, and for most of the distance down Bayard the gap was small. But the pressure was hurting the chase. Brian sat up late on Bayard, and a little bit later on Polling House Steve decided to conserve energy for the Wednesday TT and he eased up. The Wheelsucker continued following Mike Faber, taking short pulls, but was suffering and putting out less and less power. Then his chest started to cramp and the Wheelsucker eased up and told Mike he was dropping off. Looking back he could not see anyone close enough to wait for and work with, so after recovering a bit, the Wheelsucker went to steady power and rode the next forty minutes solo, occasionally seeing Mike up the road, until finally the gap grew big enough to hide Mike around curves and hills.
The leaders were waiting, relaxed, calm and chatting, at Governor Bridge Road, just after the sprint. The Wheelsucker barely made it up the short bump after the sprint line, and managed to coast to a stop next to them.
Bob Walters rolled across soon afterwards. Apparently the rest of the group short cut.
OUCH! That hurt!
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Meanwhile at the back, the Wheelsucker move DID disrupt my attempt to keep a sane pace for me up Harwood. I was not feeling good and was soon alone with David Aha glued to my wheel with a group up the road. I chased as hard as I could trying to make contact. David took one short pull on Rt 2, but later when requested to pull through on S Polling House he declined, so continue to chase I did hoping to make contact prior to the stair step. No dice, but the gap was closing and within reach just after turning onto Bayard. I decided it was time to bridge and get rid of my wheelsucker - there are no freebees when you don't/can't help. A surge on the second bump snapped the elastic and that one last effort got me on the back with Rick, Bob, Steve and two non-ABRT riders. I sat in for a bit to recover and away we went very steadily. Bob turned on Polling House to do the extra loop, but I was shortcutting since I had to ride back to Annapolis. Luckily the others were shortcutting too. We all shared the load well, the woman on the TT bike is quite strong, and the man went a little too hard when on the front.
At the penultimate dip on Patuxent River, the man went on the rise, but anyone who has done this ride much knows this is a stupid Wheelsucker suicide move, so I just kept the pace steady and ground him down passing him on the run up to the finish with Rick gliding past me easily to the line.
The speed from start to finish was a surprising 23 mph, which did lead to the inevitable "Davidsonville Death March" back to Annapolis...
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