Last night I opted not to race the weekly Pacific series and decided to do a local ride sponsored by the Cascade Bicycle Club and Land Conservancy. I live in issaquah, Washington, and it is pretty bike friendly but has some issues. And now the city leaders are considering some long term development and traffic changes. Last night's ride was to educate riders on those concerns.
The ride started and finished a 1/2 mile from my home at the Rogue Brewery and Salmon Hatchery. I arrived a few minutes early and immediately saw a friend with 3 of her club mates.
By the time we departed we had maybe 25 or so riders, including a couple of racers, some serious recreational riders, and some die hard commuters. There even was a one armed cyclist! I was in my new and oh so sharp white kit and rode my single speed as I thought we were staying in the flat valley.
The group split into 3 (fast medium and slow) and I was in the front group of 6 or so. Several people asked me about 53x11 coffee and the team. One woman said she saw me all the time. We stopped periodically to regroup and talk about issues regarding buildings, traffic and roads.
We did a long loop of about 6 miles, and we rode on roads, paths and a gravel path. Some of these I had never been on and several i ride almost every day. They wanted to do a good climb of just over a mile, and I was concerned since I was on my single speed. I took off from the group to hit the climb at speed, and I muscled my way up to the summit. But no one else came!
They oped to skip it while they were part way up the climb. I waited a few minutes then descended, finding them stopped and chatting. They were surprised I did it on my single speed. It was a good sign of my fitness.
The ride finished at the Brewery and then I hammered 1.5 miles to the market to pick up some stuff for dinner.
All in all a very nice time seeing my city and meeting other riders. Just strange to ride in such a social group again as I am used to racing.....
The ride started and finished a 1/2 mile from my home at the Rogue Brewery and Salmon Hatchery. I arrived a few minutes early and immediately saw a friend with 3 of her club mates.
By the time we departed we had maybe 25 or so riders, including a couple of racers, some serious recreational riders, and some die hard commuters. There even was a one armed cyclist! I was in my new and oh so sharp white kit and rode my single speed as I thought we were staying in the flat valley.
The group split into 3 (fast medium and slow) and I was in the front group of 6 or so. Several people asked me about 53x11 coffee and the team. One woman said she saw me all the time. We stopped periodically to regroup and talk about issues regarding buildings, traffic and roads.
We did a long loop of about 6 miles, and we rode on roads, paths and a gravel path. Some of these I had never been on and several i ride almost every day. They wanted to do a good climb of just over a mile, and I was concerned since I was on my single speed. I took off from the group to hit the climb at speed, and I muscled my way up to the summit. But no one else came!
They oped to skip it while they were part way up the climb. I waited a few minutes then descended, finding them stopped and chatting. They were surprised I did it on my single speed. It was a good sign of my fitness.
The ride finished at the Brewery and then I hammered 1.5 miles to the market to pick up some stuff for dinner.
All in all a very nice time seeing my city and meeting other riders. Just strange to ride in such a social group again as I am used to racing.....
No comments:
Post a Comment