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04-14-07, 10:19 AM
Well that was fun. Basically it was a 50 mile group ride with about 40 riders or so. I was a bit nervous going into it because I didn't know if I could keep pace. Having never ridden in a group before, I was also kinda excited. The first 25 miles is a no drop paced ride. The group then splits up into people going further and people turning back. The ride up was surprisingly easy. We averaged 20 mph going basically 18-22. By the time we came to a stop at 25 miles it had hardly seemed like we had done any work. Riding in a group is so much easier than solo rides. I guess not having any wind helps a lot =).
I was warned that the ride back was a bit faster tempo as the no drop rule gets thrown out the window, but since I felt so good with the initial 25, I figured the ride back would be a breeze. WRONG. I got dropped in the first 15 minutes. It was all the surges I couldn't keep up with. I'd lose a wheel and have to struggle hard to latch back on, but by the time I had caught up, there was another surge starting to form. So there I was, 20 miles from home, riding solo, gasping for any sort of air, and no idea how to get home. Luckily someone had dropped a chain at the very beginning and caught up to me. He showed some mercy and helped me find my way back.
Overall it was a lot of fun. Had a good time. I only got yelled at for one thing. In the pace line when I lost a wheel, I stood up and tried sprint to catch it. Apparently you're not suppose to stand up in a pace line without yelling out that you are :P. My bad. Nice bunch of guys though. After I did it, a guy took the time to explain what was the proper way to yell out and why it was necessary. It seems I need a bit more training (boooo intervals) and some more base miles. Guess its time to rinse and repeat till I don't get dropped and then hopefully start racing. Cheers!
I was warned that the ride back was a bit faster tempo as the no drop rule gets thrown out the window, but since I felt so good with the initial 25, I figured the ride back would be a breeze. WRONG. I got dropped in the first 15 minutes. It was all the surges I couldn't keep up with. I'd lose a wheel and have to struggle hard to latch back on, but by the time I had caught up, there was another surge starting to form. So there I was, 20 miles from home, riding solo, gasping for any sort of air, and no idea how to get home. Luckily someone had dropped a chain at the very beginning and caught up to me. He showed some mercy and helped me find my way back.
Overall it was a lot of fun. Had a good time. I only got yelled at for one thing. In the pace line when I lost a wheel, I stood up and tried sprint to catch it. Apparently you're not suppose to stand up in a pace line without yelling out that you are :P. My bad. Nice bunch of guys though. After I did it, a guy took the time to explain what was the proper way to yell out and why it was necessary. It seems I need a bit more training (boooo intervals) and some more base miles. Guess its time to rinse and repeat till I don't get dropped and then hopefully start racing. Cheers!