It's like that like this and like that

Ah, the allure of the Tuesday night training race.  I escaped it for a week, but i couldn't stay away last night.
Who could?  with winds gusting to 40+mph, (no lie!) this was an epic stage to showcase my non-existent fitness that i haven't been working on.
Unfortunately for me, the group that showed up was pretty small, so not much to hide behind. 
All was going pretty well, i pulled when i could, when i couldn't, i strove for the sweet-spot behind the rotation.
Some dude i didn't recognize was battling me for this spot, traffic-copping the paceline.
Literally saying "go ahead, go, you go, go now, go ahead, go, go now, go now, you got it, go, go ahead" with each rotation.
I longed for my ipod.
So, all was good, then we picked up my brother by another mother, Chris A.
It's really amazing what a multi-day UCI stage race can do for your fitness, really.
We as a group had been slugging 19-21 into the wind.
Chris hops on and pronto tonto it's 24, i look back, and it's just me and him.
Not good, we hit the split, i go to the back to resuscitate myself and Chris forms a 4 man echelon that is GONE, gone like leaving and not coming back.
Me, Tom and Bennie chased and chased and chased and chased and chased and chased.
With shifting winds, we'd do 23, then 28, then 26 then 24 rinse, repeat.
The whole time i wanted to say to them "You'd be really proud of me if you knew how little i've been riding!"
But all i could do was marvel at the volume of the wind through spokes and my exhalation.
It took the whole loop, plus two tri volunteers and they made it back on, they ... not me.
The get-up-and-go got-up-and-left and that was it, i watched as they made contact and left me.
Dr. Bob swung by in his Mini Cooper and motorpaced me at 31 for a mile maybe, and i still couldn't make the bridge.
So i rode back ALONE, waiting for a group to catch me that never showed up, but it was fun to be back.