California Randonneuring Seminar

[maillotpois]

It was a GREAT ride.

The ride was my longest in 6 months and I was so happy at how I felt (at least after the first few miles when it was so cold no one was talking and we were all just wondering if we would have to have anything amputated). It was great to meet the legendary Pansy Palmetto from Bike Journal - though I have to admit it wasn't really warm enough to be very sociable or friendly. Lee and my SIL and I got off course a titch at the beginning, but it worked out perfectly. We turned right, should have turned left, and just when we decided "Well, let's ride back to the group instead of slowing down to wait for them" I realized we made a wrong turn! We had a "We meant to do that because we needed the training" moment when we returned to the group.

It was shortly after that, around mile 5, that I realized my water bottle was frozen solid. At first I thought it was because it had been on the car on the way there, but Bubba realized his was solid as well. Crazy!! At least I had sports drink, extra thick!

The Canteloupe (the one hill of any substance) was just beautiful. Everything was so green, and the views were great. It was a short climb, and the rollers and down hill afterward more than made up for it!

Overall, I was very happy with how I felt. I still have to climb slowly because the silly lung doctor says my HR should be below 160, but I was feeling my oats on the flats and rollers, seeing how hard I could push it. It is just a good feeling to be back on the bike!