P-Bob

Well, Sunday was the 2nd attempt at running the Pineapple Bob Classic this spring. Thus, I have dubbed it the Pineapple Bob Classic Redux. I was just one of what had to be 20-25 participants who braved a mild wind, cold weather, and partial sunshine. Well...maybe "braving" it isn't the right term. Compared with the cold and rain we had during the Fall P-Bob, this was a highly pleasant ride.

There were two routes...45ish and 35ish miles. About 15-18 miles of which was on gravel. Much of it loose gravel. Looked like about half the group took the long route, the rest took some version of the short route.

I hung in there with the faster group for the vast majority of the ride, which made me happy. They weren't exactly going for speed records...but, they weren't taking it easy either. So, my goal was just to make it through the ride without getting dropped. And, I did that...sort of. At about the 20 mile mark the group split...some of the group heading back on the short route, the rest heading on to the long route. I stuck with the long route and managed to talk Jasker in to doing the long route as well (though, I believe he regretted that decision later).

Jasker and I rode together with Randy and James for a while...but, when the main group hit the seasonal road between 142nd and 140th, we decided to turn off and take the safe route. James continued on up the seasonal road...he had a nice, big, mountain bike that was well suited to that section of the ride. J2, Randy, and I all decided to stick with paved roads for the rest of the ride.

J2 and I rode with Randy for a while...but, when we turned west in to the wind and started heading up hill, we lost Randy for a bit. We decided that we would stop and take a little rest at the next turn and wait for Randy to catch up. What I didn't know was that I, in typical form, had missed our turn. Randy is much more familiar with the area than I am...so, he made the correct turn and left Jasker and I in the dust. So, we stood and looked at each other with confused looks on our faces for a while...then decided to back track and find the turn that I had so obviously missed.

Eventually we found our way back to VCC. Total mileage ended up just shy of 50, which felt like a lot with that wind and the large sections of gravel. J2 was definitely not feeling too good by the end of the ride. But, he hung in there like a champ...as usual. And, in spite of his claims of being a bit tired, I suspect he could have dropped me any time he felt like it and gotten home at a much more reasonable pace. In any case, I enjoyed myself thoroughly...it was a good ride. The weather wasn't bad at all. I hung in there with the fast group for a good portion of the ride. And, I got to hang out with Jasker for about an hour...which I thought was fun. Sadly, Jasker had to sit an listen to my life story for that whole part of the ride...sorry John!

Sandwiches and cookies awaited us back at VCC. That and some companionship...which was always welcome. It was a great ride.