Armadillo Hill Country Ride- My FIRST Solo Ride

Yesterday I did the Armadillo Hill Country Ride in Liberty Hill, Texas. I had been planning to ride this with DH, but he had to work yesterday. I have never rode more than 19 miles without DH, but I decided to jump in and try a Metric Century solo. I have rode one century and nearly a century on the MS150, so I am experienced.

The weather could not have been nicer. We started out at about 70 degrees with a moderate wind (10 mph). The course is just one rolling hill after another. I impressed myself by taking many of the early hills in the big ring. :D

I never really fell into pace with anyone, but did exchange polite conversation with many riders. There were a couple of tough climbs. One hill was curvy (that is mean) and steep! I was able to crest it at a whopping 5.5 mph, but I made it. I don't wear a HR monitor, but I am sure I was way up there. I did almost fall over on a hill that was not as steep. My trusty bike, Fiona, decided to shift on her own. I had the shifting worked on a couple weeks ago, so I am not sure why this happened. I would say it was the rider, but I wasn't attempting to shift. Luckily, I saved myself from the embarrassment and pain.

I managed to finish the 61 mile course in 3 hours, 45 minutes, my average speed was 16.5 mph (I am happy with that). This included one stop at the friendliest rest stop ever. It was run by a senior citizen cycling club and they were so energetic, talk about a boost to your tired body!

I am so proud of myself for going out there. Like many of the people have said on here before, I am not the most athletic person. I always found an excuse out of gym. In high school and college I was a fantastic bowler, but a movement disorder robbed my of my ability to bowl my former 200 average. I started running when I decided to lose weight 3 years ago. I fell in love with cycling thanks to DH and it now fills the void of not being a top-notch bowler. Finishing this ride wasn't a distance record, but it meant a lot to me. It proved I really am a cyclist!

Thanks for everyone who encouraged me a couple weeks ago to sign up. I still have more fun riding with my DH, but I am not going to skip a ride I want to do anymore. I am even consider tackling another challenge- racing. :eek:

Congratulations!! I'm so happy you got to experience an organized ride on your own! 5.5 on a hill isn't bad at all.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama

I managed to finish the 61 mile course in 3 hours, 45 minutes, my average speed was 16.5 mph (I am happy with that).

---

WOW! No need to curl up in your armour plates and hide from that result! :D Have you logged the miles for Team Estrogen on the bikejournal.com web site?

Quote:

---

I managed to finish the 61 mile course in 3 hours, 45 minutes, my average speed was 16.5 mph (I am happy with that).

---

WOW! Great job!

Doing that alone is certainly an accomplishment. In the near future, I need to start riding alone like that.

Great Job!!! You should be SO proud of yourself! It sounds like it was a great experience overall and I am so glad you decided to go forward on your own!

Well done!!

Tracy

http://www.tinklebelle.com/Smilies/images/woohoo.gif Sounds like an awesome ride...congratulations!! http://www.tinklebelle.com/Smilies/images/nanaman.gif

Hi Aggie,

That's awesome. I can really relate to you. I'm like you, I generally always ride with my DH. And like you my DH introduced me to cycling. And I know I rely too much on him. (Heaven help me if I should have a flat tire and I'm out there alone)

I recently did a 50k ride with a bunch of guys from my LBS without DH, and I almost couldn't sleep the night before, I was that nervous. In the end, it went ok, not great(!) but ok.

So to do a metric Century on your own, without DH, that takes a lot of guts and determination. So good for you. I admire your achievement (because I don't know if I could do what you did!). It is a huge milestone in terms of your development as a cyclist.

e

Way to go, Aggie! Congrats!

Great job! Average pace of 16.5 mph is great, IMHO. And the fact that you did it by yourself is very liberating, isn't it?

KB

Nice ride! I agree, avg 16.5 is impressive. I did a metric century last August. I don't know what my average speed was, but I know it was less than that. You have to really keep going to keep your average around there. I love the image of the senior citizen bike club. If you ever find that they have a website, please post the link. My mom's 70 years old, and an avid cyclist. She'd get a real kick out of seeing them. :D L.

Way to go! Sounds like a great ride and you did super!

Thanks everyone! I am still so pleased that I did this ride. Oddly I spent one leg (a road about 8 miles) in complete isolation. There were no other riders and no cars or houses. That is where the steep, curvy hill was located. The buzzard were circling and I told them "Don't even think about it!" :D

I was quite happy not to have to use my new flat-changing skills, that stretch of road was not in the best shape. I have no idea why I was the only one on that stretch of road, I couldn't decide if it was peaceful or scary!

Lise- The do have a website: www.suncitytxcyclists.org. The volunteers were such fun, it was getting hot but they didn't let it get them down.

WELCOME TO THE METRIC CENTURY CLUB! That distance is my preferred ride whether I do it by myself or with others. Once you feel comfortable about changing flats, you should be fine for riding on your own. I also carry a cell phone and go on routes where there are other cyclists around in case I get into trouble.

Actually, on the BJ there is a thread that deals specifically with metric centuries. It's a fun thread- even if you do more than a metric you only get to count it as ONE metric. This was to make it more equatable for riders who can't put in lots of time doing long long rides (double metrics, etc). Anyway, if you get a chance, I suggest you look around on that thread. Great stories about people's accomplishments which are truly inspiring!