That didn't quite work...

Well, another Thursday ride's in the bag. Tim the Organizer of The Ride set up an actual A group this time, as we had some of the faster regulars and a couple of sponored riders from Team Healthnet. The intention was to send out the B and C groups, and then the A train would head out three minutes later and play chase. I rolled with the B's, figuring that the A's would be spicier than usual (and I've got a nice cough going, too). We cruised at an easy 20-21, slower than the usual B group pace by a couple of notches.

Well, the A line rolled by us after maybe 8 miles and, naturally, all but two or three of the B group accelerated and latched on. The pace held at about the same as we'd been doing in the apparently mis-named B group for the last few weeks, cruising in the mid-20s with occasional testosterone moments into the 30s. This time, though, the group didn't fragment at all as we headed back towards Grand Haven, so we rolled back into town in a full pack of 20+ people instead of the more common subgroups of three to five. The full-ride average I showed was 20.8, so I assume the people who started 3 minutes after us showed 21+. That was despite a few minutes of slow going after an injury- and damage-free crash.

This ride's getting to be the highlight of my week! It's also making it harder to get out and ride on my own, not because of the effort, but because riding in a group is so much more interesting. This group's doing a breakfast metric century on July 4 that I might add to my schedule...