Hey there everyone! I have just found these forums recently, why I haven't found them sooner I do not know. Name is Rich, live in the NW Burbs of Chicago, Bloomingdale area to be exact. Use a Trek 7.3 FX as my commuter and my Trek 1.2T for the road, though I use the 1.2T for some commuting as well, when all I have is my Chrome bag. I just got back into riding exactly a year ago. I purchased the 7.3 FX in May or June of '08, and a month later purchased the 1.2T. I love both bikes and really enjoy riding. I am looking for a group to ride with that is n00b friendly. My longest distance thus far has been just under 50 miles, at a decent pace. Recently I have been riding between 20 and 30 miles trying to keep a good average cadence, speed, and time. I just did 25 miles yesterday at 1h 45m with an avg cadence of 76, avg speed of 13.69mph. Found some hills in my ride yesterday that taxed me a bit. I started off wanting to get into competitions, but I have really fallen in love with riding in general so I love to cruise and want to go fast. I know I can do greater distances and go faster as long as I have someone there to push me. I typically do not give up easy when pushed unless I am about to die
My LBS is Two Seasons in Hanover Park. They have the best prices in the area on bikes, however I really do like Village out in Arlington Heights as well. Prairie Path Cycles is good as well and they seem to have a group that might be more for me and are very close, just over 5 miles away. Maybe I will head over there tomorrow and find out more about group rides and their team, as I might be interested in some competition riding in the future. I am 35, so I qualify for masters right?
Anyways, before this turns into an autobiography, just wanted to say hello, and thanks to everyone who has posted here, as I have found a lot of great information in the past 24 hours. If you want to ride, give me a yell, I am down to ride just about any distance, and would enjoy a 14mph+ pace to challenge me a bit. Thanks!