I rode the furthest I've ever gone. I met up with some people for an "AARP" ride at the st. charles trailhead of the Katy trail. There were three other riders, all men, probably all older than me since I just turned 50. I was the only one on a hybrid- one guy had a surly long haul trucker and the other two road bikes.
We went 26.14 miles- previously the longest I'd ridden was 16 miles. 2.5 of this was around the parking lot waiting for the others to get there. I felt like we were really going fast- they would have gone slower for me, but I never want to be the one slowing everyone down, so when they say "is this speed fine" I say yes. I'm sure they were going slower than normal anyway- my gps said the average speed was 10.7, max speed 27.9, but I didn't turn it off when we stopped at the turnaround, or when we rode slowly so one of the guys could get photos of us. There was one little downhill at a road crossing, maybe that's where the 27.9 came from, I'm not sure.
My saddle has got to go. I had bike "underwear" under some lycra jogging shorts, and had my period so had a small pad because this is a heavy day (TMI, I know, but not sure if that added to the discomfort). My saddle is an "avenir comfy road" with a cutout. Am I going to have to break down and get a brooks or an an-atomica?? Which version of brooks should I try? I am a very heavy person, but have no idea what my sit bone measurement is. I have a terry liberator men's version on my mountain bike, should I try that on the hybrid?
On top of being very tired and soaked with sweat (t-shirt, 92 degrees and very humid), I had a lot of pain right in the middle of my back, between my shoulder blades and a stiff neck. I had on a hydration pack and tried to remember to drink as we were riding, but think I probably didn't eat enough before and drink enough during.
I know 20 miles isn't a big milestone for some, but it's very big for me. It was a very friendly and helpful group, but I'd like to try the katy trail again sometime by myself so I can just meander along at my usual speed and enjoy the scenery, it was a very nice trail and I really enjoyed it.
vickie