Wylde06

So I finally decided that I was going to meet up with the local club and go for their Monday night ride. Ive been wanting to try this ride since last year but I knew that I wasn't fast enough. All day today I was thinking that as long as I can hang with the group for at least half the ride I will be happy.

I got there about 20 minutes early and asked the ride leader if I could join them. Everyone was really nice and about 5 minutes after the last person signed in we took off. The pace started off pretty good, about 15-17 mph, but quickly ramped up to about 20. The ride is advertised as 16-20 so I figured it would pretty quick.

5 miles in the pace was keeping at about 21-22 mph, but I was still feeling really good...I was thinking that I could do this. Coming up to mile 10, still going anywhere from 19-22 mph I was really starting to think that I was going to end up off the back of the group, but I managed to hang on. For the next ~10 miles I was having a hard time staying with the group (I was spinning like mad) when one of the guys who has been part of the club for a while and has been riding for quite some time told me to switch into my big ring, it really got easier to stay with the group from there. After a quick turn, I was told that this is where the group usually splits into two with the front group turning it into a race.

I was still with the "slower" group of about 7 or 8 (im not really sure how many there were because I was so focused on staying with them...I say slower...but for me we were flying) and we formed two lines, which was nice because I was able to draft off of someone and really recover from the beating I took on the last 15 or so miles. For the next 7 miles we were heading pretty much into the wind but thanks to the people in the front of me I was able to hang with them. I think we were maintaining at least 20mph the whole time.

By the end of the ride, I was still with the group, and with me riding to the start (3.5 miles) my average speed was 17.5 over 27.64 miles. I felt pretty tired, good, but tired at the end. I ended up talking with one of the guys that was part of the group I was in for about 10-15 minutes afterwards and when I finally took off, I almost called home to have someone come pick me up. The cramps that were going through both my legs were intense. It felt like waves...but I took it real easy until they went away. By the time I got home (another 3.5 miles) my average speed was 17 over 31.22 miles. Oh yea, and it got kinda cold by the end of the ride...around 45 degrees. My left foot was freezing and my hands started going numb.

That had to be the most fun ride ive had since I started riding. While I got my ass kicked tonight, I will be going back next week for more.