SCOLETRAIN

A Classic...
Survived another Point du Nord Classic training ride on Sunday with a bunch of the same characters that show up every year.  It was good to have a few new faces in the group of 18 that rolled out from downtown Stevens Point.  This ride is one of my favorites with the mix of gravel and pavement over the 68 mile route.  For most of the first 50 miles everyone stayed together with a few good pushes that yo-yo'd the pack a few times.  I believe that we only had one causality on the gravel sector just before Bevent.  No damage, just a lost Garmin 705 cycling GPS.  If water is ever needed, this is a warning to stay clear of tap water in the small town of Bevent.  It was hard to describe, but it definitely came out of the ground and wherever the source, it wasn't a good one.  Thankfully I still had a bottle with drinkable fluids from home.  As within the past additions of PdN, the pace usually picks up after we turn south off from Hwy 153 to make our way back through the Dewey Marsh before rolling back into Point.  With just under 20 miles left and over half of it on gravel, the push for the end was ignited as the pace was gradually being turned up until four of us were off the front.  Once we reached the last sector of gravel we were down to three and we continued to roll at a good tempo to the end.  Barely in sight was a small group of chasers somewhat organized from the bench racing talk I heard afterward.  The breakdown of the peloton wasn't planned as our goal over the last few rides have been to keep everyone together for as long as possible.  With a group the size we had, along with different riding experience and fitness levels, it's hard to always stay together as different scenarios will play out during the ride.  I could be one of the culprits to blame if anyone is pointing fingers after Sunday about the "groupo explodo" that occurred when the pace picked up and the split happened, but than again it's a training ride and these rides aren't easy at whatever pace you set.   You can make them hard by staying up front or somewhat easier at the back of the group depending on how you feel on that day.  Next weeks Amherst Gold Classic should be a good one!  Pedal on...