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Members of the Memphis Velo
Smith Nephew Cycling Team Aaron Guyer and Austin Byrd
rode with Floyd Landis and Bob Roll in February to support
the Floyd Landis Foundation for Arthritis Research.
The ride was approximately 30 miles long and proceeded
along the California coast from La Costa to Torrey Pines
and back.
Aaron's Recap:
About 50 riders began the ride, which
was split into 2 groups of 25 and started about 5 minutes
apart. Floyd started with the first group and rotated
between the 2 throughout the day. We started out in
La Costa just after a rain shower had passed through.
The road dried out quickly as the sun came out, warming
the air to about 65 degrees, and we made our way out
to Highway 101. There we turned south and headed along
the ocean over mildly rolling terrain. A crosswind really
picked up as the ocean came into view, but everyone
stuck together in a double paceline at a moderate pace.
SRAM provided a team car for sag support and stuck with
us throughout.
Around the 14 mile point, we reached
the base of Torrey Pines and started up a 2 mile climb.
Austin and I were in the lead group, which quickly became
fragmented as the climb proceeded. Bob Roll joined the
ride at that point and blasted past nearly everyone,
reaching the top just behind myself and a friend of
Floyd's who was a cat 1. Floyd had dropped back to the
second group by that time, but once he reached the climb,
he reportedly darted past everyone in sight. We stopped
for a rest and photo op at the top of Torrey Pines,
then turned around and screamed down the hill.
The pace continued to be pretty tame until we turned
off of highway 101 back towards La Costa. During this
last 2 mile flat, windiing stretch, Dr. Kay, Floyd's
personal physician and ironman triathlete, decided to
throw down the hammer. He and 2 other guys took off.
I tried to keep up, but even at 35 mph on the drops
they kept getting further and further ahead. At that
point Bob Roll shot past me as if I were standing still
(and he claimed he hadn't been on his bike for 2 months).
Just as I was getting discouraged, Floyd and 2 other
cat 1's he rides with in CA rode past me at a slightly
slower pace than Bob, so I sprinted and got on their
wheels. We rode together to nearly the start point but
then got stopped at a red light about a 1/4 mile from
the end. It was a pretty long light, giving the rest
of the group time to catch up. We all rode together
into the parking lot at a leisurely pace, then assembled
for a group photo.
A reception at the hotel followed with
presentations by Dr. Kay and Floyd about his battle
with hip arthritis and his recovery from surgery. Bob
Roll also introduced Floyd and in the process found
an opportunity to make fun of the French, as he always
does. Floyd's manager spoke a little about the Floyd
Landis Foundation as well, and afterwards Floyd autographed
jerseys and hats.
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