As I watched the parking lot fill up with cyclists for the Death by Hills ride, all I could think about was how the hell am I gonna do this. I was drained and exhausted from having been on THE CLEAN diet for the past 6 days. Expect a blog about that soon. I was down 6 pounds and felt awful. My legs felt weak and heavy. I had no energy. Thanks a lot CLEAN.
Sunday was my first time on road tires. I was hoping to keep the rubber side down and just ride as long as I could. I found that not looking at the tires helped a lot. I also prayed for no flats since I could not even put the tire on. Fifty-six of us clipped in at 9am and off we went in a pack. I have never been in a pack and backed off. Once i got comfortable I moved closer to other wheels. I quickly understood the advantages of riding in the middle. But, it did feel like cheating somehow.
As the day went on I learned some "road etiquette " Cory, rocking that new pink kit, kept pointing out debris, potholes, and those grate things while we rode along. Can you imagine if mountain bikers did the same and pointed out roots and rocks? I also saw the "slowing "hand signal. I was able to ride in a pace line. That was cool. Now I get the drafting advantage.
I like riding hills, but found myself disappointed with these. I couldnt keep my front wheel on the ground, so there was no way I was going up any of them.I was in good company with Gina, Nicole, Cory, and some teammates so I wanted to keep going. I learned that I am a better climber on my single speed. Something funny... a couple of hills were quite hard and when I looked down I realized if I shifted out of the big ring it would get a lot easier.
I am very pleased with my 7 hour "legs on" approach to road biking. I got to ride with some strong women and finally caught up to Emily to finish the ride with her. Next year I hope to keep up with Mary, who I only saw for a brief moment. Entering the lot I was just under 65 miles , so I did a couple loops to even it out.
I want to ride that route again, several times. I want more .
OMG! You totally rocked the ride!
ReplyDeleteAs for the calling out of debris, well...road tires are fragile. They have anorexia and cannot handle badassness like MTB tires. Once, a cute Red Bull shard attached itself to Ty's road wheel and jammed in the brakes...throwing him over the bars on Clayton Rd. That would have sucked in the midst of 56 riders (and wasn't all that fun with just 2 of us). For the record, Ty has never touched a road bike since and is now a MTB purist. lol
Amazing props to you & Em for going the distance out of the females! I respect you both so much! Let's ride Babler together soon. It's a great place to practice gears on those skinny tires and low to no traffic during the week!
ReplyDeleteThanks Cory , now i will be looking for Red Bull shards constantly. I did age a little on that ride. Felt gray hairs sprouting. Mary, Babler DEFINITELY. Let me know when soon.
ReplyDeleteI used to have trouble keeping the front tire down at the beginning of cross races. I can'tremember who, but someone told me I needed to be in a higher gear. Never had a problem since.
ReplyDeleteNice job. I need that pic. You know what im talking about.
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