First Ride Sans Pete!

I did it! I completed my first group ride without Pete. This was a women's ride organized by the local bike store, Bike World. There was a total of eleven of us, including the leader. I was a little nervous about falling again, keeping up with the group, holding up the group, how far I could ride, handling the hills, and meeting all these women who are thinner and more fit than I am. As I tried to talk myself out of the ride on the drive over, I worked on my self-talk and cheered myself on instead.

I was running a little later than I would have liked. It'd been a rushed afternoon, so I was still in that mode and that didn't help. Not to mention, this was the first time I had to prep the bike myself, change at the ride, and walk across a parking lot in bike shoes. I managed though. It was quite comical getting the pump out of the back of the truck and I broke a sweat just getting things ready, but once I was ready, I was confident that I was good to go!

When I walked in the shop, I bumped in to Vicki. I met her last Saturday on the ride where I wimped out and went to buy shoes. She stuck around for lunch, so I've talked to her a little bit. She was all smiles and said, "I'm glad you're joining us!" That helped to put me at ease a bit. Ran in to Erica, but she was shopping, not riding. And for proof that it was a woman's ride, I got a compliment on how matching my outfit was! Mark that down as the first compliment of me in my bike gear! Trust me, it's not the prettiest sight, but it's functional, so you do what you have to do.

We headed out and I was the fourth one out of the parking lot. That didn't last long once everyone got moving. The first road we head down has a stop sign every block. Yikes! My foot got tired clipping in and out of the pedals. It was good practice, but once my foot got tired, it was more of a challenge to clip in. Of course, that meant that I got better at pulling the pedals around a couple times with my right leg. It was good practice though.

On the first long stretch, the group pulled away. I was pedaling and had a good cadence (for me) going, but couldn't keep up. I switched my bike display and saw that I was moving at 12.5 mph. That's a good clip for me. Vicki started to hang back a bit as she noticed in her mirror that I was falling back. I figured as long as I kept moving and the group waited at key intersections, I'd be fine. I was actually glad that I wasn't holding someone up!

At the next intersection, it was a decision point. Those who could ride 15 mph went straight and were to meet up at some random point. Those who needed a slower pace, or shorter distance, turn right. Without hesitation, I announced that the right turn was my route and made my way. I was alone in that decision, and I was okay with that. The ride leader, J.D., stuck with me and it was a good opportunity for a little coaching, encouragement and getting to know one another.

When the group finally caught up with me, I was on some rolling hills. They were all good about announcing they were passing and I just kept on pedaling. I announced my moves and signaled road hazards. One of the girls even cheered me on each time she passed me all day. It really made me smile and kept me motivated.

I was enjoying the challenge of the rolling hills. I'd get some speed from the downhill and enjoy the quick rest, then start pedaling and move myself up the next hill. Then we turned a corner and there was a bigger hill in front of us. hmm.... this was about the size of the hill I walked on Saturday! I check my gears, and I'm ready to get myself up the hill by pedaling. Just over half way up I decide I need to switch rings (gear one on the left handlebar.) Whoops!!! I dropped my chain. Oh! Feet!!! So I quickly unclip and hop off the bike. Shamefully, I think I forgot to announce I was stopping, but the gal behind me saw what happened. She even stopped and said "do you know how to fix it?" I sheepishly replied, "Maybe... I think so." Instead of letting me struggle, she hops off her bike and teaches me, getting her hand greasy in the process. Wow! Thank you! I offered my handkerchief to clean the grease off her hand. Sacrificing one of Pete's handkerchiefs is a small price to pay!

With the chain fixed, I still had to get up the rest of the hill. I had two people tell me that you have to circle downhill to get some momentum and then turn and go back up hill. Are you kidding me?!?!? That's more hill to climb! I clipped in and started pedaling. Then I hear "she's doing it!" And sure enough, I pedal right on up to the top of the hill without doubling back and without walking it. Whoo-hoo!!!

It's another decision point. Do the loop again for another 3.5 miles, or head back to the bike shop. Ha! I was in this for ten miles today. By doing the loop again, I have to go up that hill again. I am tired. I'm drinking most of my water. I decide to stick with what I know I can do and that means take the direct route back. Vicki says she'll go with me, so the rest of the group doubles around and Vicki and I start pedaling for the shop.

I'm keeping up with her to some degree. Any sort of an incline, or a car behind us, and she pulls away in front of me. Then we're on the long straight away again, and I'm tired. My legs are tired, and I need to slow down my cadence a bit, so I shift. Then I remember what Pete said about shifting from 2-3 to 1-6 (or something like that) so I decide to give it a shot. Whip! Chain dropped, again. I try to fix it by shifting the right hand and nothing happens. It's time to unclip before I'm going so slow that I fall over. So I get off the bike and fix the chain. Climb back on and take off again just as Vicki catches up to me on her doubling back.

Traffic was lighter this time going through all of the stop signs and that made it a bit easier. I actually think a smaller group of bikers helped too. We were almost back and Vicki figured she should tell me the plan to get back to the shop, so we stop briefly. I get the coaching for the driveways and sidewalk we take to go the wrong way on the access road. I'm relieved because I had suddenly started thinking we had to cross the highway and take the access road and then turn around all the way. The sidewalk is a much better solution.

We pull into the Bike World parking lot and I shout "I did it! I did it!" I can feel the huge grin on my face. I hop off the bike and finish my water. I load my gear into the truck, straighten the mess from the pre-ride chaos, and load the bike. Then I realize this is the first time I haven't had Pete there to confirm the bike was loaded on the rack tightly enough. I drive the truck to the end of the parking lot where the Bike World guys are playing basketball. One of them checks the bike and sure enough, it's on tight enough so I'm good to go. I live the truck running to cool off with the air conditioner, but I won't leave until the group is back. The rest of the group arrives in one bunch. Clearly, they can all ride at a faster speed than I can, but that's okay. Everyone was glad to see me there.

I learned a lot of little things on this ride. It may have been as simple as proving to myself that I could do a lot of it. I enjoy the partnership and teamwork Pete and I have in our preparations, riding, and loading. It was quite the feeling of accomplishment though to prove to myself that I could do it. Getting through a ride with the shoes, by myself, not falling, and pedaling up the hills was a great feeling. I can't wait to go back. I'll have to wait two weeks, but I let J.D. know that I was going out of town (they didn't manage to scare me off) and I'll be back in a couple weeks.

Goals
Today's Miles: 10
Total Miles Achieved: 119.9
Financial Investment: $840.16
Total Weight Loss: 0