Freaking out a little...

[Owlie]

First organized ride is Sunday. I am a bit scared. I normally ride by myself, so starting out in a group has me nervous. Also, hills! Where I normally ride, there aren't any "real" hills (just a mile-long false flat on the way home that kills me every time). I am giving myself permission to walk if necessary, but still. I can't find the actual route on MapMyRide, just the 25 from last year and the 50 from 2008 (on the other side of town), which doesn't help. The 25 looks pretty flat, so the 50 shouldn't be too horrible, right?

Picked up a mirror and a Superflash tail light from work. I need to get zip ties for the tail light. The mirror should be easy enough to install.

I don't know why I'm this worried, since there's SAG support and rest stops and all that--and I ride the same sort of distances alone on a regular basis. Well, other than the fact that I haven't done much road riding for the last year or so! I suppose I'll do last year's 25-mile route on Saturday to get used to this whole "road" thing again...
TE, help me feel better!

[zoom-zoom]

You are very silly, you know. You've been riding for forever. You've got this!!!

[ny biker]

It will be great as soon as you start pedaling.

I know from experience.

[zoom-zoom]

it will be great as soon as you start pedaling.

I know from experience.

+1

[Wahine]

It will be great as soon as you start pedaling.

I know from experience.

I was sooooooo nervous on my first group ride that I thought I would throw up. As soon as we got going it was all good.

You'll be fine and will have a great time I'm sure of it.

Can't wait to hear how it goes.

[lph]

You know how to do this. You know that you know it. It's just your body telling you to be prepared. It makes you feel worried, but it also ensures you will be prepared.

You'll do great! 10 minutes in and you'll be loving it, have faith

[Geonz]

If you're new, folks give you a little more room.

What lph said

[Sky King]

remember it's a ride, not a race. Ride your own pace and keep smiling

[ride4fun]

I did my first two supported rides this summer.
Before that it was just with my husband and me & sometimes a few of his friends.
I was also real nervous about riding with people I didn't know and not being able to make it.
The first ride was a two day 90 mile mt. bike ride over some big passes. I ended up walking some and getting a lift on the support ATV both days, but in the end I had ridden 84 miles of it ,and found everyone to be real nice and supportive.
The next one last weekend and was on a road bike ( I just got into road biking so this ride really had me nervous ) it was a 14 1/2 mile ride up to Bogus Basin Ski Resort, I made and had alot of fun .(The down hill was a blast)
I learned that I am stronger then I thought and it was fun even though I was the slowest person there LOL
You will do great ,have fun.

[Kathi]

You'll be fine, my memories of that area are the hills aren't that hard, although the farther east you go it gets hillier.

Just remember you only have a limited no. of candles to burn so don't start out to fast. People tend to start when they're ready so you may not have crowded roads.

A funny story, when I started riding many years ago I thought 4 miles was a long ride. One Easter my SO and I camped at John Bryan State Park. I had just gotten my new bike and was eager to go for a ride, so off we went. It was windy and very hilly. I walked alot of hills. The ride took forever. Next morning I could barely walk.

Years later we went back and rode the same route. Not only was it easy, I couldn't find those awful long hills or any hills of conquence but I found out my SO had conned me into a 30 mile ride.

After that day and a few rides around Georgetown, Ky. I decided if I was going to ride in the Ohio Valley I had to like hills and learn how to ride them.

[malkin]

You're going to do great! You know--it's like riding a bike--you don't forget!

Of course in the unlikely event that something crazy happens: a) we'll still love you and b) we will be waiting to hear about it!

[Dogmama]

98% of what I fear never comes true.

Be sure to give us a ride report!

[MichelleOH]

How did your ride go, Owlie?

[Owlie]

I'm back, and have been for a while.

So, the brochure said "rolling terrain." Uh, yeah. If by "rolling" they mean "the first half of the ride contains four Hills of Death," sure. The first was a mile or two into the ride, and I sure as heck wasn't expecting it. I walked about a third of it. The second one, as I later found out, is known to the host club as "Devil's Backbone". I walked half of that one. Apparently someone threw up on it. I walked a fair bit of the third one. (I was not the only one to walk these!) After the third hill, there was some flat ground and the rest stop, where I topped up on Gatorade and water, and a banana, and a strawberry, and PB on bread, and chex mix. They fed us well. Lest you think that the first leg was all uphill (it felt like it!), there were some nice descents. As it turns out, I'm not too afraid of them any more. Just descents on crappy pavement. I hit 35 on one, and that was with me applying the brakes!

Post-rest stop was the last of the Hills of Death. Not steep, just long and the grade kept changing. I walked the initial part that was steepest, then hopped back on the bike and ground out the rest at 8mph. I rode part of this route with someone I met through work. He dropped back, though, because he had some derailleur issues. Lunch was also generous. A hot dog, chips, another banana, salad, a cookie. Picked up a bag of peanuts to go. The last 10 miles weren't bad in terms of terrain, but it was hot and open farmland.

A fair number of the roads, being rural, were chip-seal. If I ever do this ride again, it will be on carbon or steel that fits properly. And I will be much better at hills.

[jyyanks]

Congratulations on your first organized ride! Sounds like it went well despite the "not so rolling" hills. Once the first one is out of the way, they probably won't be so scary (this coming from someone who has yet to do an organized ride).