Sunday, June 8, 2008

first team ride

up early...to get to kiker elementary for 7am meet time 7.30 wheels down ride...we were doing a 40mile ride out to fitzhugh and back...20 out 20 back...had no idea what to expect...and had a pretty good day out there...there are all levels and distances in one ride so that is nice...

started with the group but then i spread out pretty quickly...it's tough to stick together through all the stop lights in the neighborhoods...out to old bee caves...and into some nice...small "country" roads...had an issue again with the bottle cage on my seat...the left rear bottle kept tipping out and rubbing my wheel...i keep squeezing it closer so now it is impossible to use while riding but the bottle seems to stay in...not sure what to do about that...

felt like i road mostly by my self but was happy with the knowledge that there were folks ahead and behind...it did feel like sometimes people were hammering it on the bike to stay with the big pack...if it had been a longer ride i think some of them would have been in trouble...hit some hilly stuff where on the first time riding the route i am overly cautions especially on hills that you can't see the bottom of or what comes next...and i was glad about this one...the road was wet...there was a bit of on again off again rain that we kept missing...but you could tell it just passed here...the hill was steep...and at the bottom...a pretty sharp turn...then a climb...i saw one person with a bloody elbow...(and i am assuming a pretty good bruise on her hip) and three or four other folks hanging around helping...so i continued on...caught up with a few others...and jeremiah...he asked...is he ok? i said i saw a she that was injured...turns out three people when down on that curve...yikes...every one is ok...

hit the turn around...and headed back...was right by amy's house...when i looked up to see if i could catch the light the group had just gone through i knew there was no way...then i saw i had a flat...good spot though...nice grassy patch by the gas station at 71...called to see if amy was home...and set to work doing the flat dance...it was my first solo flat...i was a bit worried that i was the last one out on the route so i called jeremiah just to let him know i was out there...remembered the steps...and changed it rather quickly i thought...as i was filling the tire with CO2 a group of IMCDA T3ers road by...charles stopped and rode with me the rest of the way to kiker...through a hard rain squall down old bee caves...and up southwest parkway...i was soaked, dirty and happy when i was done...

never really felt like i got that much smooth riding in...but it was a good ride...

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Good job out there!

I am with you; I get very cautious. Everybody rides away from me then, but I can't help worrying about what's around the corner or at the bottom of the hill.