Google translates it as: "They took me all day with the hook" but that is not a good translation. Let me explain you.
I arrive home. Carmen looks at me and asks "How was your ride "darling"?".
You could say we know each other well so I know that just looking at my face she knows how was my ride. I detect a mild tone of amusement in the tone of that "darling" so I guess my face is telling all the story but wanting to make my feelings clear, something that always help in a relationship, I answer "Me llevaron todo el día con el ganchu" making the gesture of that picture. That says it all, off I go to the shower.
"Me llevaron todo el día con el ganchu" is saying your riding mates carried you hooked by the chin all day (notice I saying "ganchu" wich is the Asturian pronuntiation of "gancho", which is the proper Spanish word. In my opinon using "ganchu" gives the expression added dramatism making it at the same time funnier to all non Asturian Spaniards).
It is a great expresion, it expresses the feeling of holding there by your dear live. Noticing every push in the front, every single bump in the road, every time a new rider moves to the front with fresh legs. Taking every single opportunity to give your legs the opportunity to rest. But still holding there, hoping you will be able to hold in the next push, asking yourself how far the coffee stop is. That's how I felt today.
But it wasn't for the whole day. To be fair I'll have to admit I felt fairly well at the begining I even took two turns in the front (I had promissed that in the mailing list so I figured to take that out of the way as soon as possible).
Then Green Dene came and they killed me. In a 6 minutes "climb" (nothing that is 6 minutes is a climb) my colleagues were at least a minute faster than me. Adding insult to injury two riders from another club passed me half way up the climb. None of the looking particularly lean, fit or fast. I was at the edge of crying.
From Green Dene "Me llevaron todo el día con el ganchu". Needless to say I didn't take a single turn in the front for the rest of the ride.
Well, that's a not totally correct. I took the front for 5 meters. Those needed to take the Esher sprint.
I explained to my riding mates, once again, that I was suffering all day, always at the edge, always risking being dropped. But approaching Esher and finding myself in the game somehow I was able to sprint.
Apparently they took it well. Didn't hear the word sandbagging and if anything the criticism came after my unorthodox way of sprinting, sitting on the saddle and spinning the legs at 125rpm. But, hey, a win is a win.
Let's see if next week I'm still part of the email list.
The ride in Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/2800448646
Take care
Javier Arias González
