A medium sized group was gathered in the P&R, with Eric Boone, Stu Waring, Steve Owens and Devon Baummer probably the strongest riders. The group rolled out and was joined by a couple more non ABRTers early on Rossback.
The Wheelsucker always starts the ride worried about making it up Harwood Hill with the leaders, fearing he will be dropped. He either wants to jump away early and have a big head start for this climb (very risky, as he could easily be caught before the climb and start with the group, already tired), or sit in and conserve as much energy and hope that he can hold on to the top of the climb, if the strong riders go hard.
The Wheelsucker did not see an opportunity to jump away, so tried to sit in and stay fresh for the Harwood climb.
But even the Wheelsucker couldn't avoid rotating to the front, and he took a decent pull on Patuxent River road, to the 214 intersection. The traffic light was red so the group stopped and waited for the green. When the light turned green Devon Baummer and Eric Boone were the first across, along with the Wheelsucker, who had not yet rotated back after his pull. Eric accelerated. No one in the rest of the group seemed to be paying attention. The Wheelsucker accelerated to catch Eric’s wheel and motioned to Devon to come along. Almost before anyone else in the group noticed, Eric was pulling the three of them clear as a small gap opened.
It would have been risky for the Wheelsucker to make a hard effort before Harwood Hill, but having someone ELSE make a hard effort while the Wheelsucker followed in the draft was fine. The Wheelsucker encouraged Eric to go telling him they had a gap. And Eric went. Not as hard as Eric can go, but the speed increased. So far so good, thought the Wheelsucker. But riders in the group behind had seen the danger, and were reacting. The Wheelsucker was second wheel following Eric and not looking behind him, but the group behind was chasing hard. Devon was on the Wheelsucker's wheel, having a snack. Eric was not going quite as hard as he could, and the gap was soon closed by a non ABRT rider. Soon after Eric swung off the front to recover, leaving the Wheelsucker on the front. He checked behind him, saw that they had been caught, and was immediately not interested in making anything resembling a hard effort. He pulled off almost immediately – shameful! – and drifted back along the line, to join Eric near the back.
Riders continued to rotate off the front after taking pulls, and going into the dip where the Patuxent River occasionally floods Patuxent River Road, the Wheelsucker was behind Jeff Schomig, one of the non-ABRT riders, Devon, Tom Aga, Steve Owens, Stu Waring and "Uncle Bob" Walters. The front riders were riding steady-hard and did not slow at all on the short steep section climbing out of the dip. Uncle Bob took it easier slowing slightly on the steep section and opening a gap between him and Stu's rear wheel. The Wheelsucker was nervous and worried about Steve and Stu's strength, so came around Uncle Bob and glued himself to Stu's wheel. As the group continued past the Sands road intersection, Devon, Jeff, and the non ABRT rider took their pulls and peeled off to the back of the line. Steve took a hard pull part way to Harwood Hill and pulled off. A little later Tom pulled off. Just before the start of the Harwood Hill climb the non ABRTer came back. Then Stu took over and pulled steady-hard up Harwood Hill. Stu was going hard enough that the Wheelsucker was regretting his second wheel position and wishing he was a few places further back in line for more of a draft effect. But not even a nearly shameless Wheelsucker can pull out of line and drop back a few places, one has to at least rotate to the front and pull through and over…
Stu continued up Harwood Hill, going harder to keep the speed up on the steeper sections. The Wheelsucker was suffering, but holding on. But by the time they reached the short flat section before the last part of the climb, the Wheelsucker was in big trouble. Stu was not in trouble at all, and continued up the last steep part while the Wheelsucker -- cross eyed and blowing snot bubbles -- going as hard as he could, could do nothing as the gap to Stu's wheel opened. A quick glance behind revealed that the pace had been hard enough that Uncle Bob had lost the Wheelsucker's wheel and was dangling, with most of the group behind Uncle Bob. But Eric and Devon emerged from that group, went around Uncle Bob, and rode past the Wheelsucker to Stu's wheel. One of them encouraged the Wheelsucker to make one more effort, as they rode past.
The Wheelsucker was desperate. Three of the strongest riders in the group were together going up the road. Digging deep into his limited reserves a suffering Wheelsucker somehow closed the gap to Devon’s wheel as the incline eased to false flat and tried to hang on.
But then Eric decided to make his play. Despite Stu's hard pace at the front, and having to come around Bob and cross the gap, Eric was still feeling fresh. And he wanted to get rid of some of the riders in the group, in particular one riding a Triathlon/Time Trial bike who apparently had been a little inconsistent riding in the middle of the group, in the aero bars. So Eric came around Stu and accelerated. Stu was strong enough to follow his wheel, and Devon hung on to Stu. That left a spent Wheelsucker trying to somehow pedal harder than he had been, to hold Devon's wheel.
OUCH!
And behind the Wheelsucker, Steve Owens had seen the move, understood the risk, and despite having pulled hard before Stu, had also come around Bob and tried to close the gap.
The Wheelsucker was in serious pain struggling to hold on to Devon. Eric, Stu and Devon all looked comfortable, viewed from behind them. Steve finally made it to the Wheelsucker's wheel, but had worked very very hard to do so, and was having real trouble staying there. Meanwhile Eric continued to drive the group at an amazing pace. No one else was able to cross the gap, the gap quickly opened and the group disappeared behind and was out of site behind a curve by the time the leaders flew past Lankford Road. After an amazing pull Eric pulled over; no one else would take up the pace, so Eric got back on the front and continued to drive the break. Then Steve, his face a mask of pain, lost the Wheelsucker’s wheel, was gapped, and despite going as hard as he could, slowly fell back. Finally, with the chasing group out of site and even Steve receding into the distance, Eric pulled off the front, slid down the left side and pulled in behind the Wheelsucker. The Wheelsucker muttered "holy [expletive deleted]" as Eric slid past. But there was no respite because Stu took over and drove the pace, and was followed by Devon.
It was all over well before the right turn onto the route 2 shoulder. The four lead riders were clear with no chasers in site. The Wheelsucker was on the front going into the turn onto route 2, through the turn onto Polling House and then pulled off and Eric took over. A dying Wheelsucker nearly did not catch on to Devon's wheel at the back. Next on the menu was the South Polling House stairstep climb. The Wheelsucker, who had been at or beyond his limits for most of the time Eric and then Stu had pulled, was wondering how on earth he was going to hang on to three stronger riders on that climb.
All too soon they were flying down the descent to the base of the three step "stairstep" climb where South Polling House climbs up and ends at Bayard.
The pace was steady up the climb with no attacks, and the Wheelsucker somehow hung on grimly and make it to the top and the right turn onto Bayard. Bayard has a few bumps, but nothing like the Harwood Hill and South Polling House stairstep climbs, and the Wheelsucker was able to sit in and recover a bit. The group passed Wade on Bayard, and he jumped on at the back.
But then there was the sweeping right turn from Bayard onto Polling House, a short descent and a climb and a sweeping right to the false flat through the golf course. And at the end of that false flat was a short steep bump the Wheelsucker dreaded. Stu was on the front leading into that bump and simply pedaled harder for the steep bit. The Wheelsucker was going as hard as he could but the gap to Stu'’s wheel opened. The Wheelsucker held on grimly and somehow closed the gap to Stu's wheel and hung on. After that bump Polling House is easier, though it still trends up in a false flat. Stu finally pulled off so the Wheelsucker found himself on the front again, and was able to take a very short pull before easing to the left and drifting back. But to his surprise there were only two riders for him to drift past, Stu and Eric were there, but Devon and Wade were gone. There was no opportunity to look back; the Wheelsucker had to accelerate to catch on at the back and hold on.
The three were getting close to the right turn onto South Polling House and the second time up the stairstep. The Wheelsucker was wondering how he was going to survive. Devon was gone, and both Stu or Eric were easily strong enough to attack on the hill and drop the Wheelsucker. But the pace was steady hard and a gasping suffering Wheelsucker was still there at the top and the right turn back onto Bayard.
There was no sign of Devon.
The Wheelsucker tried to take his pulls when he rotated to the front, but they were short and each time he had to work to catch back on at the back. Eric was riding steady-hard, while Stu was clearly riding very strong, because he would accelerate on some of the bumps on Sands. Eric would easily follow, but the Wheelsucker would lose his place in line as he was gapped and would then desperately chase to catch back on at the back.
But that desperate Wheelsucker was still there after Stu jumped on a bump on Sands, and he was still there after the sprint up the hill at the end of Sands and the left turn onto Harwood/Patuxent River. And he was still there after climbing out of the dip, though he was very close to being dropped each time.
The red light at the 214 intersection was a badly-needed short recovery for the Wheelsucker, and the section from there to the finish line was not too hard. Eric and Stu seemed to be easing up slightly, all that hard pulling might have finally taken a toll on them, and the group of three had been clear for so long they were confident there was no chase closing in on them. The Wheelsucker took a couple of short pulls on the way to the finish line including a hard (for an aging tired Wheelsucker) pull past the ball park down the penultimate dip and up the other side to the last flat. Both Stu and Eric were behaving themselves and not trying to jump clear. Either of them could have dropped the Wheelsucker at a number of points, with the other strong rider then catching the attacker and leaving the Wheelsucker on his own, but they did not.
So it was going to come down to a sprint, thought the Wheelsucker. Stu was on the front going hard. Eric was on his wheel, with the Wheelsucker at the back. As they went up the false flat to the finish line, just before Governor Bridge Road, the Wheelsucker was expecting Stu to jump, or Eric to jump left around Stu, but neither moved. Finally the Wheelsucker could not stand the suspense and jumped left from third wheel. Neither Stu nor Eric responded and the Wheelsucker stood up and sprinted as hard as an aging tired Wheelsucker can sprint, and crossed the line first.
It was shameless, after taking short pulls and hanging on while the other two did all of the work, nearly being dropped and chasing back on as the other two eased up for him, the Wheelsucker had the temerity to sprint around them for the “win”.
The Wheelsucker doubted he had been the third-strongest rider in the group, but whoever WAS the third strongest rider was not there at the finish, and the Wheelsucker was ...
Back in the P&R, all the familiar cars -- driven by other ABRTers -- were gone. Eric, Stu and the Wheelsucker concluded the others had shortcut, most probably not doing the inner loop on Polling House and South Polling House, and were long gone.
So ... NO ONE HAD BEEN CHASING THEM and ALL THAT HARD PEDALING WAS FOR NO GOOD REASON!!! A look at the Strava Playback from the ride confirmed this: http://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#172906201,F3JMCvQYTgpxO04KFk9OCmcxTwr7g08K
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