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05-11-04, 08:01 AM
Yesterday, since it was the first Monday without rain in 2 months, I decided to join one of the weekly rides led by my LBS. I was going to go with the "B" group, but a friend talked me into going with the "A" group, reassuring me that it isn't "that fast," and that they stop a lot to let the stragglers catch up. I felt a little out of place, riding with a triple crankset, a cheap solid color jersey and a Camelbak.
Needless to say I got dropped on the first hill. I did manage to keep the group in sight, though. The only thing that allowed me to catch up was a flat tire that forced everybody to stop. That took a while to fix so we were running behind. I was kinda regretting scarfing those cookies right before the ride.
The route kinda flattened out for a while but I still got dropped. Gary, one of the owners of Pedal Power in Middletown, was really cool and let me hang off his back wheel for a while. I would try to return the favor but couldn't keep up the pace, so I just leeched off him for the next 10 miles or so while the rest of the group pretty much disappeared.
When we got to the next intersection we realized there wasn't enough daylight left to do the 35-mile route Gary had planned (thank God), so we backtracked and took some nasty backroad hills on the way back to town. By this time a couple guys were bonking, so it was a bit of an ego boost to at least have one rider a little slower than me:) Unfortunately, I had to cheat on one of the hills and dropped into my granny gear. I don't think anybody noticed, though ;) The rest of the ride was manageable from there. Since my apartment was on the way back to the shop, I just went straight home (since I live so close to the shop I just rode there to start the ride). My friend congratulated me for not dying, I promised to join him again, and I went on my way.
To summarize, I was totally caught off guard by the fast pace. Despite getting my buttocks handed to me, I didn't bonk, fall over sideways, or give up at all. I managed to set an all-time average speed record for myself, yet still had enough energy to make dinner and get into bed under my own power. I'm so used to riding solo and going at my own pace, that I never knew I was capable of pushing myself like that. It was a pretty cool feeling :D
Ok, I'll stop now. I figured this would be a good change from the crash/injury/traffic safety/helmet debate rants.
Needless to say I got dropped on the first hill. I did manage to keep the group in sight, though. The only thing that allowed me to catch up was a flat tire that forced everybody to stop. That took a while to fix so we were running behind. I was kinda regretting scarfing those cookies right before the ride.
The route kinda flattened out for a while but I still got dropped. Gary, one of the owners of Pedal Power in Middletown, was really cool and let me hang off his back wheel for a while. I would try to return the favor but couldn't keep up the pace, so I just leeched off him for the next 10 miles or so while the rest of the group pretty much disappeared.
When we got to the next intersection we realized there wasn't enough daylight left to do the 35-mile route Gary had planned (thank God), so we backtracked and took some nasty backroad hills on the way back to town. By this time a couple guys were bonking, so it was a bit of an ego boost to at least have one rider a little slower than me:) Unfortunately, I had to cheat on one of the hills and dropped into my granny gear. I don't think anybody noticed, though ;) The rest of the ride was manageable from there. Since my apartment was on the way back to the shop, I just went straight home (since I live so close to the shop I just rode there to start the ride). My friend congratulated me for not dying, I promised to join him again, and I went on my way.
To summarize, I was totally caught off guard by the fast pace. Despite getting my buttocks handed to me, I didn't bonk, fall over sideways, or give up at all. I managed to set an all-time average speed record for myself, yet still had enough energy to make dinner and get into bed under my own power. I'm so used to riding solo and going at my own pace, that I never knew I was capable of pushing myself like that. It was a pretty cool feeling :D
Ok, I'll stop now. I figured this would be a good change from the crash/injury/traffic safety/helmet debate rants.