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M_A_Martin
08-17-2004, 11:18 AM
I usually can't pick out bike makes and models when I'm riding on tours and whatnot. But I actually recognized an OttRott on my century ride on Sunday!

I was cruising along all by myself on the Assenmacher 100 and I missed a turn. My buddy who was doing his first century had wandered up and was chatting with some guys and happily disappeared for a while.
So there I was, around mile 50 or so, cruising along the course when these obvious tri guys started passing me. "whoop whooop whoop - thuda thuda thuda (boy, those carbon wheels sure make a lot of noise!). Hmmmm, funny... is there a tri group training on this ride? Seems like there's a lot of them and some of them have forgotten to wash off their numbers. Boy are they fast! I kept pedaling like a normal person and I came up to a set of cones and flaggers who flagged me through the interesection with a "Way to GO GIRL!"
Um...ok...
I continued to ride along a bit distracted by the ffgs and I passed their turn around point. Oh! There's a race out here too! Now I get it! The flagger thought I was a girl racer who was doing really really well. HA!
I pedal a few miles further and realize that I'm out there all by myself in the middle of nowhere. I check the map and the road I just crossed isn't on it anywhere. I pedal further (I've been out in the middle of nowhere and obviously alone on a tour before...but this just wasn't right.) and stopped to ask a local where the road I'm looking for is. "That's about two miles past the last road you crossed." The intersection I was flagged through! Back I go.
I'm almost to the tri turn-around and two more cyclists zip through and head out just like I did. "Assenmacher" "Yeah!" "Wrong WAY"

Hey! The guy's on an OttRott!

I didn't catch his name, but his OttRott is a beautiful bike that stands out of the crowd when you see it out in the world away from all the other OttRotts!

I'm happy to report that my buddy and I finished the century in 6 hours 34 minutes, 15.3mph average. For reference, the last century I rode before my mortocycle accident I finished in 6 hours 39 minutes. So I guess I'm "back" to the point I was before I got smacked! Yay!

So I had two milestones: My first century since the accident in September of 2000, *and* I'm starting to recognize equipment. (My riding buddies seem to identify other riders by what bike they ride, I identify the people. It makes it difficult to put the two together.)

I thought I'd post this since I've regaled all of you with my surgery questions and whatnot over the last few years.

Ride On!
Ginger

Bill Bove
08-17-2004, 01:13 PM
Good going, Ginger!!

LowCel
08-17-2004, 01:15 PM
Congrats on both, but especially the century!

Bruce K
08-17-2004, 01:49 PM
You are OTAY biker chick. :D

:banana: :banana: :banana:

But did you "salute" the race workers as you rode by? I hear it's all the rage right now. ;)

BK

Dekonick
08-17-2004, 01:53 PM
Ginger has more class than that!

Grats on your time!

Bruce K
08-17-2004, 02:30 PM
I know D.. I'm just kiddin' her.

On the other hand, if you p***ed her off......

:D

BK

M_A_Martin
08-17-2004, 03:08 PM
Thanks Guys!


No, I didn't flip anyone off. Why would I do that? I reserve that for Bruce K!

I did however go back and politely explained to the course workers that there were in fact two events on their course. And NO, there's nothing I can do about it, I can't reroute the century course to keep the century riders off the tri course 'cause it isn't my event to reroute. Thanks for coming out and No...you can't not let me back on the course so I can go back and find my turn...no...really..

EPOJoe
08-17-2004, 07:31 PM
Congratulations on your return to peak form, Ginger! And if it makes you feel any better, I’m always getting lost on centuries, even without an intersecting tri course. The upside is that I always get in a few more miles than the route intended. :p

Tom
08-18-2004, 09:56 AM
I've been there after a long time off the road and that first time back is so, so sweet. Congratulations and many more miles.

Ahneida Ride
08-18-2004, 10:05 AM
Congrats Ginger !