I have yet to read an article regarding a ride as colorful as Will McLaughlin’s description of the Equinox. See the story here.

After the Equinox I requested comments from many of the riders regarding the early Spring ride. Many tales are paraphrased bellow:

Jim Houston: I rode out to the Fort and timed it perfectly to get there at 10:55, sign up and ride. Since the ride didn’t start until 11:20, I was cold by the time we took off. The group was riding pretty slow and I just wanted to warm up. So when we turned onto Hull Prairie I just cranked it up and pulled as hard as I could for a long time. When I sat up to let some else pull, I went to get back on, but didn’t have anything left! I just turned around and went home. Cold, wet and miserable.

I suffered the same fate as Jim. Someone dropped a water bottle just over the tracks on Ft. Meigs Road. We sat up to let him get back on after picking it up and started chasing. The group ahead had already turned onto Hull Prairie by the time we got over the tracks on Roachton (1/2 mike back!). Steve Sams suggested we each take nice ‘easy’ pulls @25mph. So I did….once. Not only was it annoying getting salt water injected into your face, but the mud on the road left my glasses nearly useless. Then as each rider in our group took a pull, I dropped further and further back until I just watched everyone go by. I turned around in Tontogony and road home. Cold, wet and miserable.

Steve Sams: We chased for 15 miles before we caught the second group. We never even saw Steve, Matt , Jon or Willy.

Mat Thourot: I just stayed in the pack for a while then pulled through once in awhile. Not really hammering, but a nice steady pace. I just couldn’t get warm. I stopped for a little bit and jumped around to try to get my feet warm and those guys kept going. I saw that they weren’t too far ahead, so I started to chase back on. I went around a corner too fast and went down (no bike damage, the knickers weren’t as lucky). I caught up with the lead group on their way home and rode back to the Fort with them. Just another day out front.

Steve Clark: We didn’t ride that hard, we just kept a steady pace most of the way.

So it seems the ride was a success. As many attest, a true measure of fitness. I need to keep working, because Spring is going to come soon and it is going to be FAST. Until then.

Mike

Mike Iannone Photos