The day after settling up with Uncle Sam, OVC headed up to Sussex County for 70 miles of endurance riding from the farm. 13 riders, Russ, Roscoe, Scott H., Scott A., Glenn, Marty, Bill, Jim V., Alex, Freddy, Mario, Jamie, and Barry, rolled on course at about 845AM. The group endured chilly temps early on, but this was offset by extremely calm conditions that made pedaling almost effortless.
Other than a missed turn caused by the group admiring an impressive looking sounder of swine, the ride to Secretary went off without a hitch. The bunch tested their legs and lungs with a couple of short sprints to the bridges of Secretary and Suicide Bridge that came at the ride’s mid-point. By now, temps had climbed to about 60F and everyone was thankful to be out riding with their mates on such a glorious spring day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5k9vrVCXu0
For the ride back to base, the group enjoyed several great stretches of varied tarmac: twists on Lords Crossing, the narrow, Flandrian-like Cloverdale, and the rollers of Palmer Mill, where the group enjoyed a little bit of spirited riding. A rider or two lost contact, but the crew held up to regroup and refueled while enjoying the view of the Marshy Hope creek.
With about 3.5 miles to go, the traditional Sharptown Bridge (aka the “Nanticoke Wall”) finish loomed large. Alex broke the ice with a tough dig to the summit. Roscoe followed this with a surge down the other side. Although a small gap was opened, Russ and Scott were well-positioned and linked up. The trio was soon joined by Jim V. (in his debut Farm Finale), Barry, and Jamie at the tete de la course. For the next 2 miles, the 6 man group battled crosswinds, but worked well together. With about 1km to go, Roscoe went for broke. The group responded well, and clawed their way back into contention. With just meters to go, Russ made the juncture, and the pair entered a gentlemen’s agreement to cross the line side-by-side with Scott and Barry only seconds behind. Great finish, guys!
Here's a little video footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a23CGAj5MM
Post-ride recovery ales, taquitos, and cookies were consumed in large quantities under the team tent. Special kudos to Glenn for pushing through today’s ride and providing a cooler full of IPAs! Another great OVC ride in the books!
The 70 miles course was completed in about 3 hr 31 minutes for an average speed of 20 mph (exactly on target).