Getting a stranglehold on the "weakest link"

Sunday I had a change of pace and slept in a bit before going to ride. A team meeting was scheduled for 9:30 with a ride to follow. The air that morning was heavy with fog and a soaking mist. The drive to Fort Custer was uneventful but very slow as the good citizens of this State were driving well under the speed limit even with solid visibility. Anyway, I got there on time, and snapped the pic above from on top of Eagle Lake. As you can see...or not see....the fog was dreary. 

Now on to the ride. There was only 5 of us. We started off innocently enough, but Jay was at the lead. The pace proved to be too much for me. I was hitting the corners a little hotter than I wanted, and was learning how my tires handle "wet" conditions. The trail had seem some rain and it was tacky. The top layer wasn't quite seated back to the rest of the surface and I could feel my tires peeling thru a a layer in some corners. The sand was packed and wet still, but my tires were grabbing and it was throwing the tracking of the bike off. I have noticed this handling difference before, but it still caught me off guard a few times, and I slowed down. But, that was just an excuse.

I got dumped. Hard. Again. Not too surprising considering who I was riding with, but frustrating to say the least. I would round a corner and they were stopped waiting for me. They would roll on when I came into view. I was essentially riding alone. No worries....as the weakest link I am frankly used to this situation. It sucks...but it is a position that I have firmly in my grasp. 

After our loop I filled my bottle and headed out again. I rode the green to the red and a full red loop. Jay was going to chase me after he got his bottle refilled, so I knew he would be coming eventually. I just rode my pace. Comfortable, not fast. I settled in and the miles kept slipping by. I say slipping because the rocks and roots were very slick still with the water in the air from the fog. It made for an interesting mix of sounds as the tires rolled over and slipped off the rocks.

Overall, it was a good ride. Slow or not, I was out there.