Metal Fatigue at Venetian Isles

Rather than waiting, shoeless, in the cool shade of the gazebo at Spanish Fort, as is his habit, Big Rich went a few minutes early to the swim-hole, where his wife, Leslie, was meeting a few friends for a swim, ride and run.

At the Swim-hole, Lake Pontchartrain

The weather was mild, with calm winds and temperatures in the low seventies at the start. According to KNEW observations, it never got above 79° during the ride, but it felt hot enough to me to mark Sunday as the last single-water-bottle ride of the season.

Being Memorial Day weekend and with races elsewhere, the smallish group of about 18 riders was not unexpected. The ride was largely unremarkable. There was the now predictable chasing of Rob K. on Hayne, as he tries to cram the energy expenditure of an entire Giro into the ride out to Chef Hwy, where he turns for home. There was a visiting couple from West Virginia, who used to live in New Orleans. I didn't get their names, but can attest to the fact that the fairer component of the duo is plenty strong. And then there was the failure of one of Vega's spokes, about which I made no comment whatever, but which provoked among others numerous opinions about Vega's wheel choice in light of the manufacturer's rider-weight restrictions₁ for Zipp 404s.

Broken Spoke at Venetian Isles

Silhouettes on Lakeshore Drive

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