Report by Corrine
Just 3 of us were in town and available this week, Hannah, Maria, and me. I asked them if they wanted to do the listed ride or something different. They were both ready to do something different, so we decided to do the ride out by the airport, a ride that the LOL do early in the season. It would be a flat ride, but we could go hard and fast. And we knew the three of us work well in a pace line together with similar speeds.
We had Maria lead out as she knew how to navigate the neighborhood and bike paths to get out to the airport. We should have just had her lead all night. She was by far the strongest. Every time she got out front, our pace picked up by a couple of miles per hour. It was all I could do to hang on her wheel!
The roads by the airport have been repaved and they were smooth and fast. And there was almost no traffic. It was so fun to keep a tight paceline, taking turns pulling. When we turned on to Peger, I asked if we wanted to make a loop or just turn around and head back. We decided that we were having so much fun, we should just turn and ride back the way we came. No traffic and smooth roads, what’s not to like about that.
A plane took off right over our heads as we headed back past the airport. Then Maria went even more rogue and took us right by the front of the airport, and right by the airport police. No sirens went off, and nobody was in pursuit, so we continued our fast paceline by the cell phone lot and back past Pike’s and over the Chena River.
I missed the sharp turn after the river but what did it matter? This was a rogue ride. So I took us back on the bumpy bike path across Geist Road and back on Sheep Creek to the University. We really turned it up at the end and got up to 30 mph with the final sprint.
It was a fun and glorious ride.
22 miles in 1:06 with average speed of 20 mph
And just 170 feet of total elevation gain
It looks as if everybody will be gone next week so we will all miss the Chatanika valley ride. I guess tonight’s ride will have to be our fast paceline ride for the season.
