OK. When we traveled to Ca. for our two rides we did there last month, I was, of course, not prepared gearwise for the climbs, which I guess is at least understandable, but the DESCENTS were hair raising. I chugged up the hills, heart rate monitor beeping alarmingly, cursing life and thinking that falling over would be far less painful. Then I got to the top and was terrified. I was passed by the fit, the unfit, the elderly, children on tricycles, and a man on a burro. Well, ok, no burros, but everyone else passed me. My hands hurt from holding the brakes, and my bike, I am sure, was ready to kill me (I projected my horse experience on to it and could hear myself yelling at my students to "LET GO OF HIS MOUTH!!"). I was grateful each time to get to the bottom of the descent and start another climb (until I got to the middle of that one...and so on).
So, of course, this is all coming from lack of experience here in Texas. There are no descents here. Oh, yeah. I can whizz down one of our little hills at 34-35 mph, but that was NOTHING in comparison to the crazy nuts grade descents I faced there.
We are going back in October for the gran fondo in Santa Rosa. I know I face humiliation of my lack of descending skills.