Skate Creek Loop Part 3

Skate Creek Loop Part 1

Skate Creek Loop Part 2

We formed a pretty fast pace line as we quickly approached Packwood.  Jim was leading, followed by David (forever known as The DIESEL), myself, and Jon brought up the rear.  We all shared the workload as we rode towards our next climb (Backbone Ridge).  As always, the plan is to climb at your own rate and then regroup at the top.

Backbone Ridge is about 2.6 miles with an average gradient of 4.2%.  I rode at a pretty good clip, but did not want to over do it since we still had quite a bit of work left for the day.  Once at the top, I was joined by The DIESEL, who is really enjoying his compact crank, and shortly there after Jim and Jon.  The climb was perfect, I do not think I saw one car, I enjoyed the views, and got a good workout.

We again formed a solid pace line, and rotated when each person felt their speed dropping.  The DIESEL was "the man!"  I wish I took note of the time he started his pull, but guessing off the top of my head, I would say he pulled everyone for a good 10-15 minutes!  After he finished I took over and settled into a good rhythm.  We were still going downhill, but it was not steep and there were some small rollers along the way.

I was busy doing my job, and enjoying it, when I heard Jim yelling something at me..."This is our turn!!!"  as I motor pass the turn.  I quickly hit my brakes, slowed and turned into the gas/convenience store.  I am pretty glad they let me know to stop, or I could have ended up in Idaho.  After all, I am directionally challenged!  We decided this was a good place to refill water bottles, eat some food, and talk for a few before hitting the last 20 miles home. 

This might be the most memorable moment, for me, of the entire ride...

I walked into the gas/convenience store and noticed there were about 3 customers and 8-10 employees.  If this were my business, I would want a different ratio!  I saw an older woman behind the counter, near the register, and asked if I could fill up my water bottle (20 oz.).  If you did not know, this is a pretty common practice with cyclists...you can only carry so much water.  The woman looked at me, totally deadpan, and said "it'll cost ya."  I wish I could have seen my face, because I was completely shocked, surprised, bewildered, and confused.  I nicely asked how much, thinking she was pulling my leg, joshing me, yanking my chain...JOKING!  How much do you think she said? 

1 - $0.05 
2 - $0.10 
3 - $0.25 
4 - $0.50

Hahhhhhh...Trick question, the answer is none of the above!  She said "$0.32."  Again with a totally serious look on her face, but I still thought she was joking.  I went through the process of pulling everything out of my jersey pockets to find my "emergency" $5 bill.  Her counter now looked like a thrift store.  Here is a list of what came out of my jersey pockets:

 1 - rain cape
 2 - knee warmers
 3 - arm warmers
 4 - 2 energy gels
 5 - 2 power bars
 6 - beanie to keep my head warm
 7 - cell phone
 8 - nuun tablets
 9 - ID
10 - 2 credit cards
11 - $5 bill

At this point I was realizing that she was serious.  Me being a spiteful SOB, thought about using my American Express to pay for the water.  Why the Am Ex, because I get 1.5% cash back and also because they charge the vendor the most for card use.  In the ended I decided to use my $5 bill and increase the weight I was carry...I now had four $1 bills, and $0.68 in change.  You know the saying, "train heavy and race light."

After paying for my 20 oz. of water, I shared the story with the guys.  The guys all told me they just filled up and did not ask.  We all had a good laugh, spent a little more time talking and eating, and then got back to business.  Here we come Ashford, 20 miles to go.

The next 12 miles were going up at a very moderate 2 - 3% gradient, forested, and scenic with Skate Creek flowing on the right side.  We also saw a ton of GREAT spots to camp and fish for trout.  There were, again, almost no cars on the road and we were able to talk while riding at a casual pace.

Jim kept telling me that I could take off and ride at my own pace.  It became a bit of a joke, and he would say he could see my fingers twitching as if I were about to change gears and accelerate.  I kept telling Jim and the others that I would ride with them, and that it was no big deal.  After a bit I told the guys that I might jump out of the pack at the end to "win."  I am uber competitive!!!

Once we finished the gradual 12 mile climb, it was sweet sailing to Ashford.  We again formed a good pace line and shared the workload for the last 12 miles.  As always, my good friend The DIESEL, gave multiple solid efforts on the front, and me being strategic positioned myself to pull just before him.  Why is this strategic you ask???

Well, I am glad you asked...Remember my uber competitive statement?  The DIESEL was doing another solid, and I could see the main highway, AKA the finish, up ahead.  I, sitting at the back, started to get all twitchy and let a small gap open between myself and Jon.  I then switched into a higher gear and started a gradual acceleration.  Just as I was about to ride into Jon, I again shifted, pulled out of the draft and accelerated for all I was worth ($4.68, yep that is all).  As I passed The DIESEL, I looked over and gave him a nice word of encouragement..."SUCKA!!!!!!!" 

I flew past The DIESEL, looked over my shoulder and noticed I had the gap.  I guess they did not know this was really a race.  The DIESEL tried his best to catch me, but I was able to sit up and give a victory salute as I soft pedaled the last 20 meters.

I was spent from the effort, The DIESEL was spent, and Jim said his mind wanted to go but his legs said "no, no, no."

What a GREAT ride!  The Cyclopaths are a good group of guys, and all strong riders.  I have now been told that I am an official Cyclopath, and I am honored to be considered a part of the group.  I hope to represent well, and do them proud on future rides.

David, Me, Jon

Thanks for the ride Jim, Jon, Dan, Mark, and The DIESEL.