The Auburn Trifector (aka The Whole Enchilada) -- Legs Destroyed

The group getting ready for a sufferfest!

This Sunday was a 'Hammerin' Wheels Meetup' ride called 'The Auburn Trifector'. The route was pretty much Starbucks (on Lincoln), down to the Confluence, up Clementine. Connector out to FHDL, loop around and back.  This is a good endurance route with 30+ miles and ~5000' of climbing. When doing this route (or any route longer than 20 miles) I *normally* like to take it easy on the downhills and rollers and save my energy for the climbs 'cause they are a plenty.
What made this ride different from all others was the company. A solid group of fast riders quickly established a lead group and I decided to stay with them. Also, there was another rigid SS in the lead group so I had to try and stay close, as I knew he'd a;so be working these climbs. Well, to make a long story short, this ride involved very little relaxing. There were a few short regroups, but to stay with the lead group, and Dave (the SS'er), I had to work harder than I have on any other Auburn ride. I was bombing downhills (yes, on a rigid SS). Maybe not as fast as a solid FS rider, but the lead-ups to the descents put plenty of room between the SS'ers and FS, so there was no need to look back. Thanks to working hard on every section of the trail, by the end of the ride I had set 24 Personal Best's (Strava). None of the PR's more meaningful than the final one, the 2 mile climb up Stagecoach. My previous best was over 18 minutes. But on this day, in-spite of tired legs, I had the benefit of always seeing a rider in front of me to chase down, and I knew that I had riders behind me. I gave it my all and ended up with a time of 15:25...over 3 minutes off my previous best (timed) climb. Don't know if my legs will have anything left for a mid-week ride, but it was worth it!

See Strava Results here, or see on the right column.