Chewed up and spit out the back!

[TrekJeni]

It was absolutly gorgeous yesterday. High was 79 and I wore shorts and a sleeveless jersey to the club ride last night. About twenty of us turned up. Everyone caught up on what everyone else did over the winter, who got new bikes, etc...

Last fall, my usual group was the 17mph's. Our leader wasn't there so we got grouped with the 15's. After climbing the first hill and waiting to regroup, the 15's leader told us we were allowed to split off if we wanted to. Our club is very insistent that we do the POSTED average. Too many horror stories from other rides that say they're doing something only to do much faster, drop people in the middle of nowhere and people get hoplessly lost as they dont' regroup. About seven of us looked at each other and said let's do our usual 17 mph.

So there I was, my BF leading the group. We had taken my car to the ride and his computer was in his truck so he had no idea what speed we were doing. I'm hanging on for dear life with the pack, going "$hit this is hard, we're doing 25 in the flats!" Another hill comes and I fall off the back, by the time I'm at the top, everyone is a speck of dust on the horizon!

I was pissed to say the least but then I got to thinking...
Last March I was a 12 - 15 mph rider
I have ridden four days in a row (100+ miles) this week and did not ride ONE day outside all of Febuary!
All I ate was a salad for lunch. Sucked a gel down before the ride but that was nowhere near enough.
I commuted for the FIRST TIME today to work and back, happened to meet up with one of my racing buddies on the commute so went faster and harder than orginally planned PLUS I have this really ugly hill I have to climb on the way home so I was already spent.

At the stop sign I gave the BF some attitude. He apologized for getting everyone so worked up. You know how it is, one guy goes fast and the next thing you know, you're immersed in a testosterone fest!

BUT I'm happy, averaged 16.9 and like I said, I'm already ahead of last years performance levels!!!

Jeni

[FreshNewbie]

You go Jeni!!!
Guys always get like that. Last year when I used to ride with a really nice B+ group of guys and maybe one other girl, I always tried not to be the last one in the pack and some guys took it very personally and were playing "no I was here first" game with me But it's all good, concentrate on your own goals!!! Looks like you already doing awsome and the season only starting.

[TrekJeni]

You know, there is a silver lining to every cloud, you just have to look hard enough. Knowing that I'm further ahead on my speed than last year is good enough for me. Who cares if I fell off the back? It's a no drop ride anyway!

[DDH]

Good for you!! It's always nice when we can see the positive that comes out of our experiences. Great job, that's quite fast in my opinion anyway.

[indysteel]

TrekJeni, I had a similar experience at yesterday's ride, although it was entirely my own fault.

We started Sunday's club ride--the first of the year--as per usual. I was loosely riding with three other women and, within the first few miles, we found ourselves in a double paceline with another group of riders, none of whom I recognized. I was near the back and several of the riders in front of mine kept getting out of formation. Now, I'm not that dogmatic about pacelines, but they were getting squirrely enough that it was bothering me. So, at my first opportunity, I sprinted to the front to catch up with my friends. We quickly caught with yet another group that was riding at a good clip.

I then overheard a man behind me make a comment to his friend that the girl on the Bianchi, i.e., me, was a strong rider! Well, that made me feel great--and apparently overly ambitious--because before I knew it, one of my friends and I tore off from the pack and did the next 12 miles or so at a really strong pace. It felt great, but just before the first and only SAG, the group caught up, and I had a sneaking suspicion that my legs were toast.

After the SAG, it took a couple of miles for my legs to warm up (it was breezy and about 40 degrees), but I felt okay until we hit what should have been an easy hill to climb. I had trouble getting over it and by the end, my legs had started to cramp. I quickly fell off the back and spent the next 7 miles or so just stuggling to move. My legs finally started to uncramp, but by then, I was on my own, riding into an increasingly stiff headwind with 11 miles to go. While I generally like riding alone, I would have preferred some help with the wind.

I finished with an average speed just under 17 mph. That's pretty good for me considering that this is only my second ride of the year and the chilly temperature. I'm irritated with myself though for having pushed myself too hard early in the ride--just to show off essentially. It could have been a better ride if I'd ridden a little more smartly. I have to find a good balance between pushing myself and conserving my energy.

[li10up]

indysteel, good story. Two years ago I tried riding with the moderate club ride. I remember trying to show the guys that I "belonged" and would ride at the front at the beginning of the ride. Then toward the middle of the ride I would drop off the back. If I would have just ridden in the middle or back of the pack I might have been able to hang with them for the duration. So, I ended up not riding with them last year and just trying to make myself a stronger rider...and smarter. This year I am going to try again to ride with that group. I think I have learned from my mistakes. I'm really hoping to be able to hang with them for the whole ride. Why do we always feel like we have to prove ourselves? Not this time.