CLERMONT, FLORIDA
Since I first did the Horrible Hundred eight years ago, I have always enjoyed the Saturday “familiarization rides” even more than the Sunday main event. Saturday is for group rides and is more of a fun environment than a couple of thousand riders on the road on Sunday,
This year an email went out looking for volunteer group ride leaders and I answered. I was assigned the Cracker Cove group at 8:45 a.m. and looked forward to leading it. Instead, when I showed up I introduced myself to a woman who announced that she was the group leader along with a guy from Quebec. She would lead from the front and he would be in the back. I wondered what place I had in this group.
We rolled out and had gone about one mile. I was just a person in the group. There was a 9:00 group that went eight miles farther (42 vs 34). I announced my departure and went back to the start to join the 9:00 group. This was a smaller group, perhaps nine.
Once on the road, one leader was doing all the pulling. After about 10 miles I went to the front of the line and started working. Twice I dropped the group. Oops. When we pulled into a small park, Jeff asked me if I would join him and another rider for more miles. My Whoop Band showed a recovery score of just 30 and I told him I needed to stay with this group. They eventually peeled off to get more miles.
At times I was up front. At times I went to the back. I was having fun. Diane, a slim woman, was getting shredded in the wind and I dropped back to pace her. When she was looking for a shorter way back to start because she wasn’t feeling well I told her I would pace her. We would make it.
And that’s what’s nice about the group rides. No racing. Just having fun.
Back at the hotel long after the ride had ended, the director called to ask if we had an accident in our group. I told him that I bailed out and joined the 9:00 group So our group didn’t. I couldn’t say about the original 8:45 group.
We were never given assignments as to who we would be with. I felt completely useless in the original group, they had it covered. Maybe if we were all on a group text with assignments then things would have been different. But I helped a different group and no riders were harmed today.
And a final note. At least four of our Rooster Racing group live in this area. I invited them to join me today, no registration necessary. None showed. As I plan my future riding I have to remember that none of my friends showed up to join me in an easy ride. Fun day but disappointing.
