I don't normally ride charity rides but when I do it's the Mid Ohio Walk, Run or Ride event put on by Summit Therapy Charities. I really enjoy this one and what makes it special is the venue. I've ridden here before but the last time was on my recumbent bike. The Mid Ohio Sports Car Course hosts world class racing of sports cars and motorcycles. Everything from Indy car and super bike, amateur racing and vintage bikes and autos.
The 2.2 mile circuit is laid out on the south slope of the Clear Fork Valley and this makes the track a challenging ride on a bicycle. Quite a bit of the course is uphill and the first time I rode I was dismayed at my speed dropping to into the single digits while aboard the recumbent. Back then I told myself the next time I would ride the Motobecane road bike and take advantage of its faster climbing ability.
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| Gassed up and heading out of the pits. |
This time around the RoadQueen met me at the track and agreed to be my photographer. I tried to talk her into bringing her bike but she thought it was a serious type of ride which of course it is not. This year they did have a competitive 5K running race but aside from that the promoters put the emphasis on a do it at your own pace fun type of event.
Even so its a race track and I can't help but not stomp on the accelerator. I like to simply race the clock and see what kind of performance I can get out of myself. Normally I'm taking pictures of the things I see along the ride but in this case since I have a photographer I'll treat you my dear readers to some photos of my awesome form around the track! It is my blog after all.
The weather forecast was bleak for the weekend but things ended up being ideal for a bike ride. The sun broke free from the cloud cover later in the evening. Around my tenth lap a gentleman caught up to me who was riding a Lynskey titanium bike. We had a nice chat for a couple miles then I had to drop off the back. I just couldn't hang with his pace.
Much easier to dodge the slower riders and pedestrians on a thirty foot wide race track than on the bike trail.
Rolling into the pits after twelve laps.
Ride Time: 1:36
Distance: 26.7 miles
Average Speed: 16.6 mph
Max Speed: 32.9 mph
12 laps -- Average Lap Time: 8 minutes
Nice ride!
ReplyDeleteMy Lynskey Ti bike is still my happy place, but yesterday I fell off the back of the frontrunner pack, too. Turns out my bike is a solid six pounds heavier than some of the sweet machines those guys were riding. SIX pounds!! Unfortunately, I don't have the ten thousand dollars I would need to bring my bike into line with the others on that race course, so it looks like it's time for a Babble diet. I can lose six pounds without spending ten grand...
Meh. I love food.
Yeah I don't think saving 6 pounds is worth thousands of dollars. It really is all about the engine not so much the bike. That Lynskey of yours is a sweet ride. All that matters is you're out there having fun on it.
Delete6 lbs.? What does your's weigh? If you've got a Ti bike, I can't believe your bike weight's holding you back, unless you've got that extra 6 lbs. in the rims.
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