Missbumble 

OK- So it's the Bee - I am not sure anyone reads/cares..But well I do…and I so look forward to posting. So here it is Ride 54 Quick Report. Hard to show up for another ride - given yesterday’s hilly 65 miler - but show up I did! Small charity ride - with mostly fast guys... and a few others. Originally had planned to do 100 - but lucky for them I did 60 since they were cleaning up when we were finishing the 65...and if I had done 100 - well that would be at least 3 more hours! So I think when I decide to do another supported century - I better have a friend along or know my ride organizers well.

I started out - and all was well until I could not see the riders ahead - and took a wrong turn - or did not turn...soon found a hill -went down it and hit a dirt road and looked at the map and turned around- not a long detour but it shook my confidence... Onward I rode...soon caught up to the Sag truck who was trailing 2 other 30 miler riders. Passed them - and caught up to a Father Daughter pair - and rode with them thankfully the rest of the way! It is soo nice to meet people to ride with. I think 65 on my own today (like yesterday) would have been a ton harder. I think I pushed myself to keep up with them.

The first rest stop all that seemingly was left was drinks and 1 banana and a knife! Finally the volunteers came and said they were told the last rider had come thru. At that point our avg was 15MPH! And they thought everyone had gone thru...jeesh! Anyway we managed to grab some food and rode onward. The rest of the stops were fine - and I made it! Towards the end I lost my riding partners as I was finding it harder and harder to pedal. Nothing hurt - I just felt weaker and weaker.

Anyway when I rode in to the parking everyone cheered!! It felt good to make it. I had a burrito and chips (not good for my Biggest Loser weigh in tomorrow .... but it tasted good!)

OK - That's it - off to another week of working in Chicago and then will ride in another ride next Saturday - for what I think will be more hills!

OK _ It's the Bee - Happy Riding!

(No Heart Rate Strap - forgot it )
Trip Dist: 67.08
Ride Time: 5:02:20
Avg Speed 13.3
Max Speed 32.9
CAD AVG 68

Odometer total 1924 (since June 1 - YAY!)

jesspal

terrific job, i just did my first metric century this morning, and i'm exhausted.

bbeck

good job

Missbumble 

Thnaks Guys!!! Yup - It was a "Metric"!

Neil_B

Congratulations on your metric CENTURY!

JoelS

Great job!

mycoatl

Great job! And Yes, we do read and care. Keep the the posts--they're very encouraging and it's great to see how far you've come!

Ranger63

It makes a world of difference to ride with others.
You have folks to maintain a pace with (which stops the speeding up slowing down )and conversation to take your mind off the ride. (It's the same thing with plane travel or being in a waiting room etc.)
MY problem with riding alone has always been..I get side tracked.
The great garden, the sailboats racing out on Lake Ontario, the classic restored 55 packard that I just HAVE to stop and converse with the owner about.
I do not envy you a 65 miler with hills.('course, everyone has their own definition of 'hills')
I try to use the Delorme (yeah,I know there's mapquest etc. out there..I'm old school-or maby,just old)the day before the ride
to get a feel for where the cue sheet is taking me. Too often the road signs are missing and it's good to have an idea where to turn.
I stopped trying to stay with the fast crowd on rides over 30 miles. I've a rule of thumb;"If I'm more than 300 yards behind the main pack, it's time to dial into a speed and cadence I'm comfortable with and let em go. The energy wasted in trying to catch up is better spent at the back half of the ride.
Anyhoo..ya get a standing ovation for this end of the peanut gallery.

flip18436572

Great report and keep writing them. I don't do ride reports, because you would here the same thing. I went north on highway 48 and didn't see anyone else on a bicycle. I don't have the trails or biking groups in our area. I am trying to find some, but it is not easy to find in a small town.

Please keep writing the reports, just like the people that post pictures of their great riding areas. It helps me keep going!!!!!

Oh yeah, Great metric CENTURY!!!! :-)

ScrubJ

+ 100 to ALL of the above.

Missb, I know it's not polite of a gentleman to ask but, just how many miles have you logged this year?

andrelam

Great job! Who cares about a burito and chips when you just burned at least 3500 to 4500 calories. You need to replenish your body a bit after that much of a workout. Riding 2 metric centuries in one weekend is amazing.

Enjoy the ride,
André

Neil_B

Forget that question, I want to know if she's single!

seenoweevil

Congrats Miss B, and yes, obviously many of us love to read your posts! In fact, your posts in particular have assured me that I am ready to take the plunge and join a local club for some group rides both for the fellowship and the challenge. I finally broke down and picked up a cycle computer, and my rides have been averaging 13 - 16 mph, so I'm a bit more confident that I wouldn't be riding alone the whole way!
Keep on posting!

RedC

I just re-read your post and as always enjoyed your story. I grew up in Atlanta and suspect story telling is something we were taught to appreciate as children. I am really impressed with your courage to go to these group rides alone and just hang in there. I started out on no drop rides and I'm not sure I would have kept going back if the group hadn't been so supportive. But reading your experiences have emboldened me and when I'm allowed to ride again (I just had surgery) I'm entering the Higlands Bikefest in December.

Missbumble 

Wow - alot of posts here since I last looked.Thanks Ranger - Hey that's good advice about the 300 yds and then just dial in a pace. I am off tomorrow to another metric -in Aloharetta soudns like a doozy witht some more hills. So I will likely be alone but perhaps will meet up with some folks!! Lookign forward to it. I get nervous before each ride too - so I am a little scared and psyched as well.

Missbumble 

Hey Scrubbie - Well let's see I started riding on June 1 thats when I bought my bike so I have ridden...wait for it.. ok lem me go check...1924 plus some where the odometer was not working...so maybe almost 2000.

Missbumble 

Single and waiting for you! :Jump:

Missbumble 

OOOH lemme know how the group rides go!! I love riding with the groups - seems I am alone a bunch - but on the SAG stops of these charity rides I am amazed at how nice the riders are. The slow 60 and the fast 100's meet up at the last SAG stops...

So go get em and have fun! Especially join the no drop rides whocih translated means someone has the role of staying with the new guy!