Quote Originally Posted by Catrin View Post
Today I participated in a club ride - IndySteel was one of the leaders

It was a beautiful route, very scenic with great roads and the temps cooperated! My plan was to ride the 53 mile option, the second longest, but actually rode 49 miles. See below for why.

My average speed these days isn't too bad, when there aren't too many hills I average between 12.9-13.8 which I think isn't bad for a beginner. I haven't yet found my hill-climbing legs though - and this route is in a part of the state where the hills start to develop. For those who are accustomed to hills then it probably seemed more scenic and rolling.

For me it was scenic and HILLY I had actually hoped it would be that way so I can practice in the hills - and I got exactly what I wished for They really slowed me down though - I fell far behind everyone else. Really, way far behind everyone else. Last week it took me 3.5 hours to ride 48 miles, today it took 4:40 to ride 49 Someone offered me a ride at that point and I took it - it looked like storm clouds were building and after that long in the saddle I was starting to tire a little.

Though it took much longer than last week because of the hills, I feel much, much better than I did last Saturday and I am glad that I went. I only had to walk one hill because my chain fell off the front (both derailleurs have since been adjusted by my LBS) I will return and ride that route solo in the future so I don't have to worry about keeping people waiting for me like they did this time

BTW, I loved how this route was marked - every time I got to wanting to see a marker to make sure I hadn't missed a turn - lo and behold there one was
Catrin,

I feel bad that I told you the ride wasn't all that hilly. In any event, I think you did great. You didn't keep anybody waiting. In leading a club ride, we're there to happily accommodate ALL riders. All of the leaders were really impressed with your enthusiasm and dedication. Most importantly, you seemed to be having fun, which is key.

I'm glad you want to do the route again. It'll help you get your climbing legs. Trust me that it does it get easier with practice.