Ride Report
Depending on who was counting and when they counted between 25 and 30 riders gathered at Hindmarsh Square. As far as the day went we couldn't have had better weather. Brian, Dave and Frank gave out the instructions without having to resort to a whiteboard. For a big group that hadn't ridden together the group was very cohesive and safe. Thanks to Ralph and others for group riding lessons. Thankfully Brian resisted the urge to create the mother of all pace lines. We got everyone out of the City and down to the Bay without incident and after trial and error found a pace that was comfortable.
We seemed to collect other groups as we rode along, either on the front as passing was deemed unwise, or people hooking on the back. This made a big group look even bigger especially when you looked back to see if everyone was on. We turned onto the Esplanade at West Beach when the first and only little drama of the day happened. A lady was reverse parking and decided she couldn't get in to the park. She then started moving forward without looking. Graham was on the front at this point. Thankfully multiple people yelled the warning and disaster was averted, however Graham polished her paintwork with his "good" leg.
I rolled off the front after a little way after this and made the "water bag and a cut lunch trip" to the back of the group. Every time I thought I reached the back there was a voice telling it wasn't the back yet and to keep going.
The first sprint at Bower Rd was lightly contested as people were a little unsure but I think a few people got a sniff because at the Outer Harbor sprint it was on like donkey kong. Sorry I didn't note any of the sprint winners. We stopped for some photos but not before some of our riders joined the wrong group hence not everyone is in the photos.
On the return journey it was agreed the pace would be sedate until we hit the lights on Military Rd. Everyone enjoyed the sedate pace and was chatting most of the way down the Esplande. However when we hit those lights, the pace went from sedate to whatever the opposite of sedate is. The group accelerated from a very comfortable 33 kph to a less comfortable 51 kph. The group itself didn't splinter it just spread out which was great to see. If the main group was doing 51 the sprint itself must have been north of 60. Lots of grinning riders at the regroup. The coffee shop was a tad overwhelmed but the coffees came out reasonable quickly. A few words were said and I think it more than safe to say everyone enjoyed the day. In terms of average pace we were not that much slower than a normal ride. Its just with such a large group the effort required at the back was so much less.
On the way home the Greenhill Rd return group decided to call a second coffee stop at The Parade. Moving up to turn right onto The Parade, the lights changed and Brian and Mike not taking any risk pulled up sharply leaving their front wheels inside the pedestrian crossing. A couple of pedestrians walked past and nodded as you would expect. However a tall skinny woman walked up and started to complain loudly. I quote "I have just had a nice meal, I shouldn't have to walk around you. Your spoiling my day, It is completely ridiculous that I should have to walk around you" She demanded they move back ignoring the fact that there was 3 other riders and a car there, they were stationary, not obstructing the crossing and that she only had to move 30 cm and would still be well inside the crossing. With remarkable restraint they wished her a nice day. That just set her off even more. Better to be the "Tut-Tut-ee" than the "Tut-Tut-er" in my book. The BG's wish her good mental health.
