“No drop” ride
February 10, 2018 § 1 Comment
Some of my friends over on the West Side sent me an invitation to a “no drop” ride going off this morning, Saturday, Feb. 10, and asked me to let others know they are welcome. Others, you are welcome.
Here are the details: Join the 2018 Subaru Santa Monica Racing powered by Alfa team for a fun day out on the bike! We will be meeting at Subaru Santa Monica at 7:30 AM. Subaru Santa Monica will be providing complimentary pastries and coffee. This is a no drop ride, and we will be riding out to Trancas and back on PCH, approximately 45 miles round trip.
I would dearly love to attend this ride but it runs afoul of a couple of items. First, I’m still recovering from the “Influence,” and by the time I pedal out to Santa Monica and back it’s going to already be forty miles. Instead of that I will probably go pedal around the hill on our local Donut Ride. If that doesn’t cure me of my bad case of the Influence, I don’t know what will.
In case you’re wondering what the Influence is, it’s the English translation of “influenza.” A long time ago they thought that the flu was caused due to the influence of astrological signs, whereas now they think it is caused by the influence of pigs and birds and things, which is why I like science. It really clears things up. (Factoid: There are half a million flu viruses in every flu sneeze!)
The second reason I can’t in good conscience do this no drop ride is because I don’t ever do no drop rides. They are generally a colossal lie even on the best of days, and they are something that doesn’t sit very well with me.
The basic idea behind no drop rides is that people will ride together, chat, and have fun. I remember doing a ride like that once. People did ride together, and they did chat, and they did have fun until some people started riding faster than other people and pretty soon it was a drop ride, the only difference being that folks who’d been lured out on the pretext of a no drop ride found themselves alone, off the back, 80 miles from home and even farther from fun than when they had started. Plus, when they got back to the barn all the beer was gone.
Still, I know the Subaru Santa Monica Racing folks pretty well and if they say it’s a no drop ride, I’m inclined to believe them about two or three percent, which is way more than when other bike racers call a no drop ride. The reason I think they may actually pull off a no drop ride is because their sponsor appears to be involved, which is generally the only thing that will ever make a bike racer not drop you when she can.
But even if it does turn out to be a drop ride, the weather forecast is sunny and warm, so if you haven’t figured out what to do this morning, now you have a plan. And no matter what your fitness is, if you get there early enough you won’t get dropped before coffee and pastries.
END
For $2.99 per month you can subscribe to this blog and pay to support what you might otherwise take for free. Click here and select the “subscribe” link in the upper right-hand corner. Thank you!
About Cycling in the South Bay: This the all-things-cycling blog about cycling in the South Bay and cycling in Los Angeles, maintained and authored by me, Seth Davidson, Torrance-based bicycle lawyer, bike racer, and personal injury attorney.
Cycling in the South Bay 
Are we back to comments? YAY! Yes, I have been dropped from many a “no drop” ride. Best of all is to find myself dropped on PCH, riding alone in the gutter, with cars whooshing by. One time I was barely hanging on to a group, still not dropped, but not having fun. I made a ride turn at one of the canyons and climbed. That was fun!