First Official CP Team Ride

We’d changed our plans multiple times over the course of the week as one thing after another got put on or taken off the weekend schedule. In the end, we decided to wedge a ride in with the Conoco-Phillips Training Team on Saturday morning. The nicest part about training with a team is that there is support on the ride. That means rest stops, Support and Gear (SAG) vehicles, maps and signage. The toughest part about wedging it in to our Saturday is that the kids were both at All-City Band Clinic on Friday night until 9 and then had to report back for final rehearsals and concerts by 1 on Saturday afternoon. They’re young, right?

It had been a gorgeous week (those of you who live in the northeast might want to skip this paragraph). The temperatures had been in the mid to upper 60s all week and there had been sun and blue sky. We awoke Saturday morning to a very blustery, gray 55. The weather station reported sustained winds of 15 mph from the north-north-west, with gusts up to 22. Sigh. We loaded up and headed out anyway. Erin signed us all in as I went and bought Nathan and myself some ear warmers that would fit under our helmets. Then we mounted up and waited for our start wave.

We started in the last wave, Steve and Erin ahead of Nathan and me. We stayed in these pairs for the whole ride. We cruised comfortably right up to the rest stop at 12 miles out. The ride up to that point had been principally west and south. After the rest stop we headed north and into the wind. After about five miles of Nathan complaining about the wind, I advised him to pick a point on the horizon and ride to it. When he got there, he could pick another spot and ride to it. I told him I was riding to the silos ahead of us.

When we got there I said “OK. Now, I’m going to ride to the truck that’s parked in the driveway ahead of us. See it there on the right?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s your point on the horizon?”

“That mailbox.”

“Which one?”

“The one we just passed.”

“Nathan…”

“Ok, that reflector.”

“Which one? Ah, the one right here. Ok for you, pal. I’m riding to the truck.”

I rode on. He followed me. He likes me to be in front because he can get a little wind protection. Once we got to the truck, he informed me that he’d already picked his next spot on the horizon. Me. Considering I was always in front, I thought that would be pretty good!

We rode 28 miles (8 of it against a 15 mph wind). The temperature never rose over 55. Everyone keeps telling us that the wind in April is “usually” out of the south east, so it pushes us to Austin. God, I hope so!