CTS Rides

[XMcShiftersonX]

I felt like this was worthy of a new thread . Anyone planning on doing the first CTS ride of the season on Saturday? I know a few of us have already talked about doing some of the other CTS rides. I work every other weekend, so I at least plan to go to one ride a week on the weekends that I'm off. It would be nice to meet some of you there. I'm planning on joining the 14-16mph group for this first ride, and then seeing if that's a right fit or not. What about everyone else?

-Jessica

[Susan126]

Jessica I will not be there for week 1 and 2 but I will try and make week 3 the Magnuson-Mercer Island Loop. So hopefully we will finally meet Jessica on April 3rd. You'll have to show me the ropes on the CTS ride.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Awesome! Yes, I should definitely be at that ride. Closer to, we'll have to talk about ways to spot eachother. And maybe sometime I'll make it out to one of the TWBC rides, and you'll have to show me those ropes

[lauraelmore1033]

We're doing the McClinchy Mile this Saturday, but might catch the CTS ride on Sunday. Will definitely make it the week after. I think I'm going to stick with the yellow group though. I'm still too slow on the hills to move up to green. I'll be the large lady on the Specialized Tricross...

[XMcShiftersonX]

We're doing the McClinchy Mile this Saturday, but might catch the CTS ride on Sunday. Will definitely make it the week after. I think I'm going to stick with the yellow group though. I'm still too slow on the hills to move up to green. I'll be the large lady on the Specialized Tricross...

Whoo what's the McClinchy Mile??? I'm not sure I like any bike ride with the word "clinch" in it haha...

[lauraelmore1033]

http://www.bikesclub.org/html/mcclinchy/mcclinchy.htm
A fundraiser for our local club. We're doing the 47 miler.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Aww that looks like a nice and fun ride! I thought about doing the ride around puget sound, so it would have been nice had I known earlier, although I am trying to save money right now, so it probably wouldn't have been in the cards this year. It's relieving to know that it's someone's name, and not an indication of how you're body will feel after doing a whole bunch of hills or something though! It's too bad that the person it's named after, died early in life. Do you know what happened to him?

[lauraelmore1033]

I don't know anything about Stuart McClinchy. Googling the name just brings up previous mentions of the ride in his honor. Hmmm. i hadn't made the connection between Clinchy and the way a hard ride might make one feel, but now that you mention it, that seems fairly obvious.

Of course, you could always do the ride on your own. The maps are available on line and the course markings will remain for some time...

[XMcShiftersonX]

Okay, so I'm off to do the first CTS ride of the season... I'm hoping the green group is the right fit! I'm a little nervous, this will be my first big group ride. If anyone does end up coming I'm wearing a turquoise craft jersey, black assos shorts, and I'll be on my white and pink Orbea. I hope you ladies have fun on the other rides you're doing today!

[XMcShiftersonX]

Okay! So, I went on the ride and it was great! I did the green group, and I actually kind of felt like I could have gone faster. I don't know if it's because it was the first ride of the season or what. Going out to Seward Park we intentionally were going slower like 14-15mph I guess to let people warm up etc. On the way back it was a little faster, and I kept getting caught in the back part of the group just based on where I was standing in line and being separated by cars, etc. so then I would have to sprint at like 19mph to get back up to the rest of the group, but that wasn't a problem. I'm used to doing the distances we did, so it may get a little more challenging once our rides are up in the 40-50mile range. But I was actually thinking that maybe I would be okay in the blue group of the CATS team. It was an okay workout, but I didn't really feel challenged at this point. You're just constantly slowing down for stop signs, cars, etc. I'm nervous to make this jump though, because people were talking about how "hardcore" the CATS people are etc. I'm worried that I will try it on a ride, and get left behind. But I am usually going faster than what we were doing today. Any advice from experienced CTS/CATS people?

Thank You!

[lauraelmore1033]

Hmmm, they must be seriously enforcing the pace guidelines. Last year in yellow group we were going 16-18 mph on the flats for that ride to Seward Park. The rides got a lot hillier pretty quickly, so the pace on the flats didn't really matter after that... I don't have a recomendation--especially since I am so slow that moving up to cats would be inconceivable. If you do make the leap, make sure you've printed out the map and have enough water and tools and tubes etc...

The rides will definitely get more challenging. Maybe give it a while? When DH rode with the green group they broke up into a fast green and a slow green. Maybe they'll do that again.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Okay! Those are good things to think about. Maybe it was just a little slower because it was the first ride of the series, they probably wanted to ease in to it a bit. There were 60 people in the green group and it had to be broken into three groups of 20. So maybe just the sheer number of people slowed it down too! It may also calm my nerves to stay in the green group for now, being that this is the first year I've even done big group rides like this. Like I said, I was nervous this morning before I even got there, not knowing what it was going to be like or if the group would be too fast. So, I'll stick with it, once we get in to hills I'll probably need to be there anyways! Thanks for all your advice along the way

-Jessica

[lauraelmore1033]

Oh, I don't know that my advice has been any good. Hubby (who regularly averages 15-16 mph on a hilly-ish ride) just told me that he can find people in the green group that go "plenty fast". But...
I should mention that he is kinda an, um, oldish fart (I am guessing in comparison to you) and when he was a youngish fart he probably would have been riding with the CATS group, no doubt. He also said that the only reason he wasn't riding with the CATS group now was that it was too much of a logistical challenge to get both of us to different start locations. So, he's holding himself back for my sake....
You are young and strong, so maybe you should go for it? (and be sure to print out the map, and, and, and...)

[XMcShiftersonX]

haha... Well, I'm so indecisive anyways, which doesn't really help matters much . I talked to my husband about it, and he's like "if it didn't feel like a challenge then just go for the harder group, don't over think it! Just go for it! Afterall, the point of these rides is to challenge yourself, right??" I keep going back and forth, and probably will until the next ride. The good thing is that the CAT ride in the third week (which is the next time I'll be able to go) is a flat ride in an area I'm pretty familiar with, so it may be a good time to give it a try. *sigh* So it continues... haha

[Susan126]

Jessica I've been debating whether to join the 14-16 mph CTS group or the 16-18 mph CATS group. After giving it much thought and reading the posts in here about the first CTS ride I think I may ride in the 16-18 CATS group. I checked the route and it is flat. I hope I'm understanding their ratings. This means they will cruise on the flats between 16-18? Right? I still have two weeks to decide. I hate this! Argh. How I wish my hubby was riding this year. He is fast and always pushes me and waits for me. I'm a better rider when I ride with him but he is having serious knee pain. He's been to the orthopaedic doctor and he may have to have a knee replacement. He's already had three knee surgeries.

---> Sue