Magnificent or Mundane May Rides!

[ny biker]

I rode on Saturday. It was a 58-mile club ride with a stop at a strawberry festival after 45 miles. The terrain was flat for most of the ride and the group I was with rides fast. My average speed halfway through the ride was 16 mph, which is very high for me. Fortunately at that point someone else cried uncle, and four of us ended up riding together at a more manageable pace for the rest of the ride. My average was 15.1 at the end, still higher than average for me, and I'm still feeling it in my legs. Also I've had a bit of a cold for a week now, and I felt worse yesterday than I did the day before the ride. I spend most of yesterday on the couch but I'm still feeling a bit weak today.

I had strawberry shortcake at the festival and brought home four chocolate-covered strawberries, which I enjoyed for lunch yesterday.

[IBrakeforPastry]

It's so nice reading about everyone's rides! Except for local errands, I haven't been out yet at all. When I finally had some time last weekend, I came down with a cold, then some allergy attack (new to me in the past two years) that kept me home from work for a day, cold weather, hot weather. Now I'm working midnight shifts. So I hope it's okay to ride vicariously through this thread, and hopefully get out soon! But I did get the bikes out of the basement, wiped down and adjusted.

[redrhodie]

I've been riding like once a week of late. I took my white bike out today for her first ride of the year. It was really windy and that bike is much better in the wind than my others.

It was a pretty day with white caps on the water and gold finches flying. I had California Stars playing in my head on a loop. Doesn't get much better than that! I once had Everybody Knows by Leonard Cohen stuck in my head on every bike ride for weeks. It was ominous, so this was pleasant in comparison.

Glad you're all still riding!

[Blueberry]

Glad you're all still riding!

Glad you are too! I've missed "seeing" you as much around here!

[Crankin]

I did not have the motivation to drive 40 miles for a group ride along the north shore, so I rode with a friend who does a lot of work for both of the clubs I belong to. The one that was with me when my shift lever broke. It is absolutely gorgeous out. We didn't ride anywhere special, just around Carlisle, Westford, Chelmsford, and then we stopped at Ferns for lunch. Just as we were rolling in, another leader from one of the groups was there, just finishing up arrowing for a ride. We ate together, and then I took off to go home. About 27 miles.
Anyway, we are heading to NYC for Fri.-Sunday, so no riding until Memorial Day. I kind of am looking forward to the rest. Lots of walking, though.

[colorisnt]

I did a recap of the last couple of weeks on my blog. Not a lot of riding but keeping up with our long ride goals. We did a ride that combined wine and beer tasting on Monday.

http://elleonwheelsblog.wordpress.co...autiful-bikes/

[Dragonfly5]

I got in 15 miles this morning after sitting at my kitchen table fully dressed for a half hour while the little voice in my head tried to talk me out of going. "I don't want to ride alone" it said but of course it was really too late to call anyone go with me. I sucked it up and went b/c I knew I have to work all weekend and if I didn't go I'd kick myself in the *** later. Despite all that, it was a pleasant ride.

[Jolt]

Tried out the weekly women's ride from one of the Portland shops this evening...20 miles and I got my butt kicked. It wasn't that the distance or terrain was any problem, or that I felt bad afterward (I didn't), just that almost everyone else was way faster (meaning, all but one person out of the probably 10-12 who were there). Not surprising, given that 1) I am not a fast rider by any stretch and 2) everyone else was on significantly lighter/faster bikes. It's a no-drop ride, but there were still a couple of points where I lost sight of the group and that made me really nervous since I didn't know the route. I may try to ride with this group some weeks, in order to push myself, but would like to find a group that I might fit in better with and not be the annoying straggler. The one woman who was riding slower than me said she leads a weekly ride in a neighboring town so I may try that one out.