After a roller coaster of weekend of forecasts, OVC put Hermine in the rearview mirror and headed up to Sussex County for a Labor Day Ride. 18 super riders -- Mark, Sonny, Ted, Jim D., Roscoe, Rocio, Raul, Jamie, Jim from Lewes, Scott G., Scott H., Ferb, Alex, Scott A., Maria, Eric, Dave K., and Kevin L. -- rolled out of the farm for 80 miles of solid tempo riding. The high winds never materialized and the temps stayed moderate throughout the 4-hour journey.
The ride highlights included a 1 mile sprint on Hicksburg Road at 30mph, a solid 2.5 mile team effort into Vienna into the headwind (with Mark snagging the finish), an up-close-and-personal encounter with a black snake, and an engaging finale. With 7mi or so to go, a five-rider group of Sonny, Mark, Ted, Jim D., and Rocio got up the road a tad earlier than the traditional start (the Sharptown Bridge), but given the strong tailwind conditions, the move was not surprising or unwarranted. The main group kept the breakaway in their sights, but in retrospect, gave them a little too much rope. Mark took the honors with Sonny, Ted, and Jim a few seconds behind. Nice work, fellas!
The 80 mile course was completed in just over 4 hrs for an average speed of just under 20 mph. A wide variety of post-ride beverages and food -- including taquitos, flan, sausages, venison, potato salad, chicken, chips, watermelon, and cookies -- were enjoyed by all. Thanks to everyone who contributed to another great OVC Ride!