Triple Creek

Old timers may remember that when we were working on developing the midweek training rides, perhaps 10 years ago, club member Al Abbott contributed a few new rides, including the Triple Creek Ride. Soon Joe Anderson adapted it for the new club map packet. And now the OWLS continue to use it with a version adapted to our starting place at Sherwood Oaks Church. For this version we also avoid Highway 45 and do Kerr Creek in both directions, as well as Brummets Creek and Gettys Creek. And don't forget the climb on Mt. Gilead and the killer climb on Fleener. My GPS registered over 20% on Fleener at one point.

The weather on Tuesday evening was cool and windy. The result was that we had just 9 riders out for this venture. The ride was also one of the longest we've done in an evening so far. But with the relatively small group we were able to keep together pretty well. Most of us had on tights or knee warmers and a jacket or vest and arm warmers. I tucked a pair of full-fingered gloves in my pocket on the way out the door and was happy when I finally got a chance to switch over to them.

Klaus liked to scoot out ahead. Then we'd arrive at our re-grouping spot and he'd just be sitting there relaxing!

On the return along the valley on Kerr Creek, Klaus got ahead again. When we saw him he was standing in the road. And when we got closer we saw that he was looking in the other direction. Finally we realized he was setting up a photo-op and we were to continue riding while he tried for a shot of us going by:

Home to home I had just over 28 miles at 14 mph, with GPS-registered climbing of over 1000 feet.