Thanks guys!

I just got back from an 11.5 mile ride with the goal again to improve my avg pace. I was really working it. I did 15.5 avg. Woo hoo! It's amazing how many hills there really are on streets that seem relatively flat in a car! And those hills are another story when hubs isn't on the front of the tandem using his ultra man power!

Sara ... what you said about the sense of accomplishment you get from doing this on your own. I completely agree. When we started riding tandem, we rode with some friends who also tandem and who also both have singles. The reason they love to ride tandem is because she can't keep up with him when they ride single and he doesn't get much of a work out. This is completely true and makes tandem riding a great thing. Shortly after getting the tandem, her DH upgraded her single to a beautiful Specialized Ruby Expert. However, it's been close to a year since she got it and I just found out she's only ridden it three times! Because she doesn't like going out alone. This made me nervous about some day going out on MY own. She's more physically fit and has been riding longer. If's she's nervous about going out alone, what am "I" thinking?! And then I heard a horrible story of a really, really good cyclist neighbor, who had a bad crash and a couple of surgeries since. She doesn't ride single anymore. Just tandem, yet very competitively. She said she just likes to go too fast and knows she doesn't have the really have the skill do it, so she'll stick with the tandem. This was not much of a confidence boost, to say the least!

So I was pretty darn amazed at myself that on my very first time out I found the courage to just go for it and do a full 20 miles. I just told my friend's husband last night that I did that and he was pretty impressed. "You just got on your bike and went 20 miles!?" This is nothing for him, but he knows it's an issue for his wife and, therefore, probably assumed it would be for me. It does seem pretty rare to see a woman cyclist out there alone. In fact, on my 20 mile ride, I did see one who said she was so excited to see me, rode with me a short bit before I had to turn and was hoping to see me again sometime because it's so rare to see women cyclists.

Anyways, woo hoo for all us women cyclists out there doing this on our own!

I'm doing a light riding weekend, but 20 again on Monday. Hopefully I'll improve on my avg pace from my 1st 20 mile ride. I'll, of course, keep you all informed!!!