Equinox Wars - by Matt Thorout

  In a time not so long ago not so far away the MVW had their Equinox Tour. Well,  not so much a tour as race.  This year the winter weather has been so bad that riding outdoors has been almost impossible.  At the start, there were people there that I hadn’t seen for months due to the weather so everyone’s fitness was a mystery.  After the meets and greets we were off, temp 38 degrees, wind 8 mph out of the north northwest.  The tour was neutral ‘till Roachton Rd, when we turned on to Roachton everyone stayed in check until we hit Hull Prairie.  That’s when I took off just to see what the reaction would be and to warm up.   I was freezing to death because I was wearing the bare minimum for the temperature.  No one even flinched as the gap increased to about 30 seconds.  As my internal temp increased I started feeling better and decided to keep the hammer down and keep the ability to pick my line on the bumpy, pot-hole filled Hull Prairie Rd.   Then I heard it, a train coming up the tracks from behind me; I thought if I can get that train between me and the field that could give me a couple minute gap.  The field would be standing there waiting for the train as I ride away.  If I could pull this off it would go down as one of the greatest moves ever and maybe a nomination into the MVW Hall of Fame.  The route turned down 582 and towards the tracks in Haskins, with the gap still about 30 seconds and the train getting closer things were looking good for the plan.  I could see the train and I could see the field was just sitting back there thinking: “we’ll let him sit out there and fry”.  As I crossed the tracks the train was just to my right and it was going to be close.  No luck, the field made it across with my timing off about thirty seconds or so.

  So now there was no reason to stay out here and fry any longer.  The field got closer, Brian Rex jumped across as we turned for Tontogany.  With a fresh pair of legs we opened up the gap to 30 seconds again and I thought, you know those same tracks run through Tontogany.  No luck again, this time the train beat us there.  I was getting tired of working and the ride had, for the most part, just started and already I was feeling the hard efforts in my legs.  Rex and I let the field overtake us and we settled in the draft for a nice break.  Staying away from the front for a few miles helped me to freshen up so that I could see a prime opportunity to lay waste to the field: Wapakoneta Rd coming up.

   This stretch of road, south on Wapakoneta, has split the field on many an Equinox.  I looked over at Jeff Crawford and said “Here comes the Pain”. Thinking I was Darth Vader just waiting to lay waste to some small planet with my Deathstar, I ramped it up as we turned. Looking down at my speed I saw 32 mph,  After a few hundred yards the only thing I had laid waste to was myself.  Everyone must had seen the same movie because the field was ready for the attack.   Easing into the McClure (the half-way point), Clark, Sams, Crawford, Foshag, Gwin, McLaughlin and Faehnle took turns rotating through at the front.

  Shortly after McClure we stopped for a little pit stop, a drink, bit to eat and a potty break.  As I pull off to the side of the road I saw that Crawford kept on going on some kind of sneak attack.  After a minute or two we’re off again and I can just barely see Crawford up the road.  We all started working together again to bring in the escapee.  When Crawford turned east down Long Judson I looked at my watch. When we were at the same point I looked at my watch again.  He had one minute twenty-three second gap on us; thinking that’s too much we picked up our speed and closed down the gap in a few miles.   The main field now back together, although now little smaller, we started working together to combat the north wind.  That’s when a small gap opened up and we let four riders ease away while looking at one another like: “I’m not pulling you pull.  No, I’m not,  you pull”.

   Now the group of four riders: Foshag, Sams, Armstrong and Clark were 100 meters off and no sign of returning.  Knowing that if we not do something right now it’s over, four of us leap away in chase of the break.  Within a couple minutes our chase group Crawford,  Rex, Gwin and myself  were well beyond our red zones and swimming in lactic acid to the point we all had contorted looks of pain in our faces.  We turned east again onto 582 and they still had a 100 meter gap.  Things looked kind of bleak until we found a rhythm.  Everyone took a turn at the front and we watched the gap close.  We could also see that only a couple of guys in the break were doing the majority of the work, where we had four guys pulling through.  Now the gap was down to 50 meters. We all knew we had to catch them before they turned north onto, pot-hole, Hull Prairie Rd.   With one final burst of effort we had them.

   We turned on to Hull Prairie the road and were greeted by bumps, bumps and more bumps that sapped the life from everyone.  It felt twice as bad as it did two hours ago. With an eight man group, only about four pulling and roughly 5 miles to go, it was time test everyone’s mettle.  I waited until just before it was my turn to pull to attack.  One guy came with me and we had gap, not much of a gap, but it was enough.  I told him “we’re gone” as we started to pull away; I knew we were in good shape.  Clark was the guy who jumped away with me; he’s seen me attack like that probably a thousand times and knew it was coming.  With one final look back I saw Rex, who had jumped across the gap with us.  That was probably the move of the day because now the rest of the group was already 100 meters back.

   So with only a couple miles to go, it was down to three.  Now on the final stretch, I could see the sign, the Perrysburg city limits sign.  With 400 meters to go I tucked in behind Clark and waited for just the right moment.  At 150 to go I jumped out and nabbed the Equinox win for another year. As I looked back I could see Clark hang his head knowing he will have to hear me gloat about my Equinox win for yet another year.