On a tour like Tour du Rouge all riders get to deal with the elements. In fact that's one attraction of the sport - being outside with the elements: wind, sun, humidity, rain, bugs, pollen, leaves, dogs, drivers, road conditions and on and on. Rare is the ride that has all the elements in the right balance.
The last three days have been quite windy. And since the wind has been predominately from the East and we're travelling fron West to East, its been a challenge. It slows speed significantly and gusts can throw you to the ground, literally, if you don't keep a firm hand on your handlebar.
The overnight rain left the pavement wet as we mustered for our 6:45 am rider meeting. Because a long route was mapped out for the day we started early. The wind was lighter than yesterday, but it was still early. We rode out of Sulpher slowly, overcoming drowsiness and the muscle fatigue from yesterday's ride. Too slowly for me. The rider ahead had a very deliberate pace and the busy road required single file riding. I passed and caught up with Paul from New Iberia. We kept a pace that promised some progress on the day's mileage. Paul let me know a paceline was coming behind us. As it reached us, we picked up the pace and joined in the line. The wind was picking up. The paceline picked up speed and we were crusing. We were riding thru a forested area which provided a wind block. We rode over a bridge and into a rest stop.
The paceline reformed after a break but was much less effective because we began riding through fields, the wind break was gone. The group we were riding with included several riders from the Major Taylor team, riders who often ride together and travel together on the tour. One rider suggested forming an eschelon to counter the quartering headwind. Most of our route was on roads heading due East and the wind was coming from the NE, hitting the riders on their front left shoulders. We spread four abreast across on the right side of the two lane country road. The leftmost rider caught the wind and each successive rider to the right rode slightly behind in the dead air where the wind had been broken by the lead rider. Periodically the lead rider would rotate off the left, behind the eschelon to the right side and a fresh rider would be in place to push against the wind.
Its an elaborate scheme and it works. Today the conditions were right for the eschelon to work well. We had 3-4 eschelons on the right side of the road. Following vehicle traffic simply drove around our formations. When we would turn South and enjoy a brief tailwind, we'd pick up speed and ride in files. Upon turning East, the eschelons would reform and the crusing would continue.
Did it matter? Well, the winds were as strong today, and were rode further. 105 miles today, versus 92 yesterday and 90 on Sunday. Yet my average speed rose nearly 10% over Sunday when my legs were much fresher. Eschelon riding is difficult to execute, requiring the participation of the riders in the group and concentration by the riders riding in close proximity to riders on either side as well as ahead and behind.
Can this sport really be this much fun? Can riders from different backgrounds come together and support each other? It really is a beautiful thing to see an eschelon working.
My thanks to the riders of the Major Taylor team and the others in our pick-up team for making today's ride so successful and so memorable.
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