Met up with a large group at Lake Carolina Tonight for my first group road ride. It was a neat experience to say the least.
First off, it was a large group of about 30 people. I decided to stay in the back the whole way. I did not know any of the other riders, and wanted to stay away from any problems. Having not ridden in a pack, I was not sure how to operate, or truly, how the others would operate. I was not happy seeing riders in groups of 3 or 4 wide on the road. We should have formed pace lines, I believe, but nobody seemed to feel it was important.
Second, the ride was a "Big Easy" ride. I was drafting most of the way, and had little or no trouble hanging on. I could have pushed much harder, and was just happy coasting along. I only cranked down a few times. One tough hill that I rode in the wrong gear, because I was hanging back for a slower rider. One real fast stretch that for some reason everyone rode hard on, and at the end when I decided to let it hang out and pushed hard to catch a group about a 1/2 mile ahead of the folks in the back. I just wanted to see how fast I could get going, and then I caught a nice curvy downhill section full bore. It was awesome shooting around bends at about 30 mph. My bike handled great. The old Miyata kept up with everybodies newer flashy carbon techno rides.
Third, the weather was absolutely perfect. A nice breeze. Almost no heat or humidity. Some nice cloud cover. And on top of that, we rode some of the best terrain. Spinning along country Kershaw county roads surrounded by horse pasture and calm country homesteads was inspiring. At one point, I tried imagining that this was like gliding through the French country side. My reverie was interrupted by the southern drawl of the guy next to me.
Fourth, I hit the streets in style. I got new duds to ride in for Father's Day, and I got my first chance to ride the way cyclists are supposed to. I had gloves, bibs, and a jersey. Wow, the bike shorts were comfortable, and I did not slide in the seat. My butt stuck where I put it!. The gloves were nice, and they even had a some spot that was great for wiping sweat. The jersey was soo much cooler to ride in, and it had pockets. I had a place for my stuff, and I did not have to get off the bike. What a great idea. All I need know or some good glasses.
Stats:
Ride Time 1:19
Zone Time: 1:09
Trip distance: 19.65 miles
Avg Speed: 15.31 mph
Max Speed: 31.80 mph
Avg HR: 133
Max HR: 161
Cals Burned: 908
Next Goal: Swim 500m
Current Status: Ready to Ride Again
Upcoming: Morning Swim; Night Run
About Me
Patty's Day 5k
Race Time: 26:04
Hot August Night 5k - 2008
Feeling the Heat on August 2 - Time: 26:55
Tri the Pee Dee on July 12, 2008
My Fan Club greets me after my 1st Sprint Triathlon! Time: 1:44:21
Riverfest Epilepsy 5K - 2008
2nd 5K on May 3 - Time: 27:51
Race to the River XC Bike Race 2008
1st XC Bike Race in March - Time: 56 minutes
March for Meals 5K 2008
First 5k on March 1 - Time: 33:02
1 comment:
Sounds like it was not much of a group and was more of a bunch of guys on bikes. I hate rides when people ride 4 wide in the lane. That's part of the reason I get so much crap commuting from people who have probably been stuck behind "group" rides like this. You have to just accept these as they are though. It's rare to find a group that does what you want. They are either too Nazi about it or too lazy. True pacelines are not very common.
If you felt like you were drafting at 15, wait until you hit 18 or 20. There's only a very small draft below 17mph. At 20, you can actually hear it get quiet when you tuck in to a nice line.
Congrats on the new gear too! Cotton T-shirt vs. real jersey is a HUGE difference. Riding shorts and gloves too! I remember when I started out, all that "cyclist crap" seem unnecessary. Little by little, I've seen the real value in everything but shaving my legs :)
Sounds like you had fun, that's the good thing. It's good to get a feel for operating your bike around lots of other folks :)
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