GVL WBL #3 - The cold never bothered us anyway
Like a fine wine produced by the best wineries around the world, the recaps take time. After the writer of these goofy articles was exposed, (THANKS CATE) one has to become more cautious and meticulous with the grapes chosen AND placed in the finest $5 wine out there. Sometimes these rides are like a Pink Moscato; sweet and get you coming back for more and more, or sometimes more of a red where you have 2 sips and say “Nah that’ll do!”
Obviously we hope you’re all more of a Pink Moscato fan in the same way Nate Watson is an Alabama Crimson Tide fan (look at his socks the next time we’re riding and you’ll get it), but who doesn’t think a trashy red makes you appreciate the finer things in life more? This week the Wibelers headed west towards the mtns around Sassafras for their KOM where they came to remember how nice Pink Moscato really is. The group rode swift and steady even without Brian - the tall thrill - Hill showing up thanks to our ride leaders and new guy Welsey Elford from Athens who kept the group moving smoothly and safe. Cold weather decreased numbers a smidge but it was never something that would stop us from having a good time! Laughs were had and dogs ran after us (have you ever seen a pack of wild Golden Retrievers before?), but nothing could stop the Wibelers from rolling along to average 19mph for the day. Steady base miles are never fun and typically always boring, but having a good group of people to roll with, new roads seen as people say “I think I’ll come back and do this route myself this summer” (But end up doing Paris Mtn repeats instead), and one very short but sharp as a culinary cutting knife KOM makes this ride appealing to come back to week after week.
On Saturday, everyone was looking for the bridge that signaled the start of the Eastatoe Valley to Bob’s Place KOM. The climb isn’t anything too crazy, but after 40 miles of short and punchy climbs, an average gradient of 4.5% for 1.82 miles was more than enough to wake up the system and let you know that maybe you should chill on the eggnog and cookies during the Holiday parties I’m sure we’re all going through on Zoom. The pace was high and when attacks went, they WENT. The true punchiness of the climb where it would kick to 8% or 9% before backing down to a false flat every couple hundred meters made it tough to recover and you were constantly pressing on or chasing on. This course played into the favor of Carley Sweeney who was able to put 13 seconds into her closest rivals Claire Windsor and Debbie Milne. Maybe it was the fact that both 2 & 3 only had one Supra bar going into the segment, or that Carley is just a G.O.A.T - the podium spots for this week were hard earned. For the boys, rather than throw down one large attack, the group quickly dwindled due to the sheer force of gravity and Mike Root (which is basically the same thing). Wesley Elford, former Olympic Trialist in swimming, and Nick Luther (SECCC daddy) were both able to follow and a group containing 3 others trailed behind but eventually gave up after the second stair step in the climb. Unsure of how strava works, Nick and Mike were both properly HACKED by Wesley who took the honors in first place after starting the segment in the back of the group.
After a wild effort and group store stop, the Jivel Wibelers continues their trek across the great Pumpkintown highway before winding their way to the finish in TR where warm cars and the sense of “crap now I have to wrap all of my christmas presents thoughts” begin to settle in. We hope that everyone enjoys their Christmas and comes back in January when the wine goes from $5 Moscatos to the BEST OF THE BEST grapes and money, ego, and a mention in this recap is on the line. I hope people seriously stay up late thinking about the best setup for their bikes and whether to, or not to wear a skinsuit to what might possibly be the greatest group ride of the year. The GVL WBL is not something to take lightly and locals who are not already trying to peak for the Hincapie Spring Series in true Greenville fashion [(just kidding!!) but you know I’m right tho] should seriously consider going for these segments in January. Again, a HUGE shoutout to all of our sponsors for donating to the spice fund and keeping people entertained on a saturday morning where they could be doing any other group ride or training session.
Ride safe,
-Assistant to the regional wine wibeler