May 30 rides

[7rider]

The benefit of riding with a group:
Saturday, I did the N2 for the long ride out to Poolesville. After much chit-chat on the groups Yahoo listserv about the ride being taken over by hammerheads and it losing its character as a GROUP ride, they've been making a concerted effort to stick together as a group (except for the usual sprint zones, which usually are followed after a few miles by a re-group).
So, the group rode - rather nicely and chatting much of the way - out on our loop. Yet for all the "wow - this is nice and sedate" - I actually posted one of my fastest rides of the year with them. 60 miles at a 17.7 mph average. And...the best part...I didn't really FEEL that I hammered that hard. Sure...I was beat when I got home (I also did another 8 mile loop through Rock Creek Park at a slower 15 mph speed that ultimately brought down the average), but the ride itself was tolerable. Hmmm....there's a lesson in there somewhere.
And...Props to Pfunk12 who joined us and posted her longest ride...EVER. She is super strong, and I definitely know who's wheel I'm going to be sucking on future rides!!! Congrats, P!

[skinimini]

Pam, I have total empathy with you--last year I almost hit a toddler who ran in front of me. It's so scary for all involved. I'm so glad that your situation turned out OK on all fronts.

Yesterday, I completed the longest ride since my youth--70 beautiful miles in rural Georgia. We did a total of 35 miles on the Silver Comet Trail, and then the 35 mile Sky Loop Trail from Hiram to Dallas. However, I've come to realize that my more experienced bike friends tend to understate the truth about the difficulty of the ride and number of hills "oh if you did that ride, then this is absolutely no problem--much easier". When will I ever learn?

One interesting thing though, is on the last leg with about 12 miles to go on the Silver Comet Trail (rails to trails path), I hear this whirring noise just behind me. Next, "can I draft off of you?" I turned my head and saw a rollerblader just off my left side. Wow, was I impressed. I've never seen a rollerblader going that fast! Then, "how fast are you going?" (about 18mph). A few minutes later, "can you go faster?" I sped up to 20 mph, stayed there for about a mile. He was so close, that we had a nice little conversation. Turns out, he is a competitive skater, generally racing at around 20-21 mph. I probably could have kept that pace for a little longer, but felt I needed to drop back to finish the ride with my friends.

All in all, it was a great day, but I was so exhausted (and hungry) by the time I returned home.

[Crankin]

Skinimini, both my DH and I were dropped by a roller blader last summer, going UP Oak Hill, a local favorite training hill for racers. It's 4 miles long with a 3-7% grade. Just like you, we thought it was another cyclist passing us, as he had a bike helmet on and we heard a "whooshing" noise.
And this guy was our age (50's).

[ZooZoo]

Pam, I'm so glad to hear you and the toddler are okay. What a scary, scary experirence!

After reading all the speed everyone else can do, I'm not going to post my speed for yesterday (it's dismal, but it'll improve, I hope). You guys are awsome! I'm definately a slug. LOL. But I did 42 miles yesterday (a loop and a half of the Interurban trail from Kent to Tukwila) No hills, but I was going for distance. I still plan to do STP, (two days) but I'm realizing that there won't be any speed records broken for sure (LOL). It'll be a good experience, I"m sure. I understand there are riders of every level going, so I won't feel too embarrased.

[txred9876]

Pam, I'm so glad to hear you and the toddler are okay. What a scary, scary experirence!

After reading all the speed everyone else can do, I'm not going to post my speed for yesterday (it's dismal, but it'll improve, I hope). You guys are awsome! I'm definately a slug. LOL. But I did 42 miles yesterday (a loop and a half of the Interurban trail from Kent to Tukwila) No hills, but I was going for distance. I still plan to do STP, (two days) but I'm realizing that there won't be any speed records broken for sure (LOL). It'll be a good experience, I"m sure. I understand there are riders of every level going, so I won't feel too embarrased.

I have officially deemed myself the turtle! I do the best I can and if thats not good enough.... drop me... I will find my way home!!! Each tryumph is our own



Pam I am glad you didn't hit the kiddo and not badly hurt. I went on two group rides (sat & sun) about 20 miles each.I almost bit it hard today.....it might have been an ambulence pick up if I hadn't been saved somehow..... I somehow got off balance (my ears have been bothering me for 4-5 days as well as allergies). I was going on a couple of rollers so got up to over30 mph on my hybrid before hitting a steep hill.....well I made it 3/4 of the way still doing at least 20mph when I started to loose it.....thankfully I got my feet out of the clips....caught myself....did some funny looking.....breath holding hops....and got myself stopped. I walked up the rest of the hill.....and finished the last 15 or so miles!

[tctrek]

We did a moderate 25 mile loop. My goal today was to get through all the hills while keeping my heart rate down. We rode hard yesterday and I wanted today to be a recovery ride. I managed to have an average heart rate of 143, which is great for me.

[pfunk12]

Thanks for the props for hanging on the group ride yesterday, 7rider. I wasn't sure I could do it so when it was over, it gave me a ton of confidence. That group is a lot of fun. And...you won't be sucking my wheel. I need you in front of me so I know where I'm going I was exhausted after the ride but it was a great feeling. If only I knew if that cute, nice guy was single...the ride would have been a total success