Saturday July 11 Rides

[mudmucker]

Today I did a 35 mile ride with a group that's led by the LBS I got my bike from in Fitchburg, about a 25 minute drive from the house. In the last couple of years I've been wanting to go to these - but I kept saying to myself - " I commute over 500 miles a week and do I want to to wake up at 6am on my day off and drive yet more, and when there is already good riding where I live"? I typically ride solo short and long rides because a) I like to be one with the earth and b) there's no one really near me or friends living near don't ride. Well this year I decided to make the effort to join these rides and I have to say I've been having a total blast riding with a steady group of people again. It's been so fun to be riding paceline for at least once a week, instead of blasting into the headwind myself as I usually do.

Today we rode through Lunenburg, Lancaster, Sterling, Princeton, and Westminster. The intermediate rides with this LBS generally average 19+ mph while the advanced are somewhere around 23+. So I take the C rides and because of the average of the intermediates we get a lot of men on the C rides which I like. I love when men are in the group as it makes for a nice mix. Some of these men are strong riders that just don't feel like going at a 19 mph pace. These are no-drop rides where we re-group at intersections and at the top of hills, stop for mechanicals and the occasional person who has an exercised-induced asthma attack. The rides are perfect for me as it has a little of everything. On long straight roads the paceline might split up. Like today, two men were feelin' it and decided to go a little faster and I decided to chase them. I kept in their slipstream - I worked to stay in it or I'd lose them and be stuck in the middle - and after isolating that stretch of road (I love Sporttracks) my average was 22 mph for 8.5 miles (not the whole ride) up to the next intersection. I'd never be able to maintain that on my own. It's a real high. Just to add that I'm not a total wheelsucker; I did pull the group for 3 miles in Princeton and in intermediate areas, other than rotating my turn in the paceline when we had one.

The people who lead the ride are sweethearts, very fun people, are very encouraging. The folks on the ride are fun as well. There is no competition at all, people go their paces when not conforming to the paceline. Everyone is out for a fun ride so overall it makes it very nice. I will always enjoy my solo rides but these rides have been nice and I haven't missed one since they started in late May. I'm happy to have found a good group.