August 5th Weekend Rides

[Catrin]

Nice job Catrin. It's easy to get focused on comparing one's self to others. Better to enjoy those personal best experiences!

Last night I had a lovely 15 mile ride, overcast but no rain, not broiling hot, and I found myself in a very zen state of mind where I was just in the moment.
Perfect!

This morning, a group ride for 38 miles. Humid for the desert- 50% to start, but clouds in the 2nd half of the ride kept it reasonably cool. I skipped the killer hill at the end because it was warming up and I don't do well pushing myself in the heat. It's 14 or 15%. The rest was good, and one of the faster guys stayed back and coaxed/encouraged a few of us to keep going, get in the paceline and not fall off. Above average speed for me- 15.5 overall

My riding position is FAR from aerodynamic, so I accepted long ago that I will never be speedy on the road compared with anyone else. I do much better than I once did, and as long as there isn't too strong a headwind it takes me far longer to fall off the end of the average club ride than it once did. Indeed I am no longer 45 minutes behind everyone else - which happened on a club ride at the end of July last year, and THIS year have been able to keep up with at least a section of the riders

I was perplexed by something on the ride this morning - a fast group passed me, and several people were using their aero bars (isn't this a no-no?) and one of the women had one of those aerodynamic fancy track helmets on. Perhaps something happened to her regular helmet and that was her only option, but it was a bit of a surprise. We must have had a tailwind, because I was actually pedaling 20mph at that minute & was able to sustain it for several minutes - and that has NEVER happened

Different riding patterns this year, my base hasn't broken 50 miles yet, but the metric isn't until October. Adding mountain biking to the mix appears to be changing how I do things this year. Having FAR too much fun to risk more over-use injuries!

Congratulations, Ladies! I look forward to the days when those types of rides become routine for me. At this point -- about 10 miles plus some drills on skills is about my average per ride.

Nick, if you are riding 10 miles on mountain bike trails then I am in awe of you I am just learning how to mountain bike and right now 3 miles on the trail is cause for celebration and great joy!