24 Hours - Two Rides

Just like last weekend, only this time fewer miles. Yesterday afternoon I joined four other Eendracht members (payed my dues last week, so I'm in the club now) for a 45 miler. Shorter than normally on these Saturdays, but there were several sections where I had to dig deeper, and push a bigger gear, than at any time this year just to hold the wheel. The wheel was that of Leon Schouten, who has been racing all spring and just last week got a very nice second place in a big race in Amsterdam. On one short section, he came around and as I got on his wheel I saw him put the chain on the twelve. Then he cranked it all the way up to 32 m/h, and I was happy that it was just a short section. It was the second time we separated ourselves from the other three, but I really had nothing to do with it. This morning I did manage to come out for the Whisper Power ride, together with just two other guys. Legs didn't feel so eager, but the pace was just manageable: right around 20 on the way out, into the wind; and around 24 after the coffee stop in Nieuwkoop, assisted by a nice tailwind. An added incentive to ride home fast was that it had started to rain. That too was manageable.