A bit strange getting up in the morning for a ride without Kevin, but it’s going to be a few days before he’s back up to speed. From my own experience, two days after a crash is when you feel the worst, so things will only get better from today-forward.

Smaller group today, with Karen, Karl, Eric and… Chris. Chris used to be a semi-regular who disappeared for a few years, ok, almost a decade, had a couple of kids, started racing, stopped racing because he thought it was dangerous, and now he might be back with us once in a while. There were two different versions of Chris on the ride this morning; the “social” Chris, hanging back on the climb and talking with Karl & Karen, and the super-fast-guy we remember and fear from days past, who sets a pace on Tripp Road that is almost impossible to stay with, even though he’s doing far more work. I can’t imagine the wattage he puts out when he’s in that mode. Maybe trying to hold onto that wheel is the reason my left knee is a bit sore, first time… ever?

Or it could have been from a bit earlier, trying to hang onto Karl’s wheel on the upper section of West Old LaHonda, and powering hard up that last steep section to Skyline. But it wasn’t from the final sprint near the end of the ride; Karl took off and I was way too spent to stay on his wheel. No contest there.