Nola_Gal

Well, I did my first club ride today. An email went out that it was going to be beginner friendly so I took the plunge! I had to get myself out of bed at 6am in order to get to the start for 8am. It was a country ride so there was about an hour drive to get there.

I was the only beginner there, so the ride leader stayed with me while the others went on at a faster pace. I did 42 miles and the faster group did about 55 I think. We started and finished pretty much at the same time. I did the 42 miles at an average of 13.3mph. Everyone was very friendly.

What I didn't realize is that there are HILLS on the North shore of Lake Pontchartrain!!! Who knew?? I'll just say that hills are humbling! I will definitely need to get up there to ride some now. I don't know that I'm ready to make those roads my long ride, but I can't help but think I will get much stronger if I get up there and do even 15-20 miles at a pop. Maybe by the end of the summer I could be riding with the main group.

The ride leader who stayed with me was really good about it. He is a randonneur. I was glad to meet him as my dream is to one day be able to do some of those really long rambling rides with that group.

Thanks to everyone who provided feedback in my earlier post about club riding. All in all it was a great day!

10 Wheels

Nice report.
You wiil become as strong as they are.
Just keep at it.

dahoss2002

Good work. Its lots of fun riding in a group. The miles seem to go by quicker than when you are riding alone. Drafting helps too! lol!

2Klose

Glad you had a positive experience. I had my second club ride today and both were full of very friendly people.

TrekDen

Nice!! Glad you enjoyed the experience. You had a great ride leader also.