The Gentleman's Ride '20: Preamble

Just so you understand, The Gentleman's Ride is not a race.  Some people will try to go faster than others.  There will be a podium.  A trophy will be lofted high into the air by the team who gets back first.  Each four person team's time will stop when the third rider on the team crosses the line... you can totally leave your fourth person in the woods or on the open road like a discarded gel wrapper.

But it's not a race.

A short one mile road loop to space out the racers before entering fourteen of the most challenging single track miles in the area.  Then an almost nine mile road ride over to Sherman Branch for close to twelve miles of fast and fun single track... and then nine miles of road back.

Like I said before, I'd never done it before.  It never meshed with my schedule, or I was too lax about the idea of trying to find three other people who wanna do something so... stupid?  Hard? 

But Chase had entered and he was doing it with Nick who in turn knew I had nothing to do... so obvs, I was in to suffer along with them.

But our fourth man?

I asked Dr Mike.  Pretty sure his answer was no a few weeks ago.  Something something... not riding much lately... something.

I carry some guilt for the time way back in April(?) when Dr Mike and I were trying to kill all the unexpected free time COVID had foisted in our general direction.  We were riding mountain bikes a lot, but when the word was out that hospitals were filling up and people were being fun-shamed for safety reasons, we took to tooling around neighborhoods in Charlotte. 

That's when Dr Mike touched my back wheel, went down in the road... and broke his collarbone,  So much for "playing it safe."

Anyways, one of the first things Dr Mike said when he started limping towards a guardrail was, "What about my season?"

Of course that was back when we all thought there was still a shred of hope that 2020 was going to get back to normal.  Then it never did.

So I wanted Dr Mike to have one more shot at... a "season."  I dunno.  Those who understand the desire to test themselves on their stupid bike cycling machines get it.  Those who think it's stupid to pay money to ride their bikes are also right tho. 

So, I pressed Dr Mike a little harder.  He sorta reluctantly agreed... as long as he could ride his geared Evil. 

"What it everyone else gonna be on?"

Chase was solid on his choice of a Kona trail bike... with no drooper?  Don't judge.  He's a cyclo rosser.  They're weird.  Nick was still on the fence between his Waltworks single speed and his Stumpy.  No matter what, I was gonna be the anchor on the eighteen miles of road, spinning a 32X19 at a maximum seventeen miles an hour max.  

I later see that Dr Mike is already on the race roster.  I let him know he's in unless he's not in, but he's totally in.

He finally completely agrees to join us.

Friday evening before the race, he sends me a text.  Asks me if I have any spare Shimano four pot brake pads.  I don't.

Riding one lap at Rocky River Trail has always been "enough" for me personally on a single speed.  Eighteen miles of road would have its own challenges when Dr Mike might not have swapped his 32X20 gear since the ride in the Virginia mountains... almost two months ago.  I've got my fingers crossed that Dr Mike will get the dust knocked off his Evil and those brakes back to being stoppers by the next day.

I wake Saturday morning to see that there are no miracles.  His brakes are still broke.

At least mebbe on a positive note, Nick has also chosen single speed, so Chase is gonna have to drag three dumb asses over eighteen miles of road at much less than optimal speeds.

At least the weather looks good, right?

Gonne be a good day.