first real ride

well, i bit the bullet and went for my first group ride, expecting it to be a light spinout leftover from the weekends workouts. it was 2 of the fastest guys on my team, and two other guys who were pretty fast as well. --i guess i shouldn't refer to it as my team yet, i don't even have a uniform or even raced yet... expecting a 15-17 mph pace over 25-30 miles, i didn't have a problem keeping up at all.

however after the second stoplight, i could not get back into my pedal... turns out the tension screw was almost completely out. i could move with with my fingers when i got home. it made every stoplight miserable, holding up the group, and making for a rather uncomfortable ride as well. that aside, it was quite challenging.

id never been in a draft line before, and was a little timid to ride right up another rider given my inexperience. i didn't get to experience the real effect, since i think they thought i was slower than i actually am and were keeping a 15mph pace the whole time.

we came to the first real climb, and i realized how bad my inexperience was... i could not even keep 10mph up the hill. my normal ride was too easy i had realized. i told them to drop me as i didn't want to hold up the whole group, and at this point, after suffering the embarrassment of the pedal problems, didn't want to frustrate them further.

i ended up just riding out the road for a while, in search of a new 20+ mile route. it was quite challenging, i had no idea Lexington had that type of terrain to offer. the road was rough at times, but turned smooth after the final stop. on my way back, i decided to run through a few subdivisions and check things out, where i was harassed several times by a trashy girl telling me to go on the sidewalk. the third time, i was riding along with a guy riding a hybrid at a pretty low pace. i talked with him for a few minutes at a stoplight, and he seemed to really enjoy the route. i will definitely have to ride it again.

all in all, it was a very humbling experience. from now on, i will carry wrenches with me, and really work on my climbing. i guess i need to find more riders of my ability to train with. i just dont have 30+ miles in me just yet.