Well, I did it! I met my new teammates this Saturday and went for a 52 mile bike ride with them! I wasn't prepared for it...at all. I had only been riding 1-2 times week. I had been running at least 3 times a week with some quick 5-8 milers. My endurance level wasn't recreational.
We started out and it was chilly. My fingers were numb. I borrowed a pair of full gloves from one of the gals. Thanks goodness for them.
I had assumed since it was our first meeting that we would just do an easy 30 mile ride to get acquainted with each other. Silly me! That's like an appetizer ride for them. I was told we were going to do 50 or so miles once we left. Too late now! Oh well, go with it, right?
We rode to Palos Verdes. It was a little sketchy for me, as I am not used to riding on the road with traffic. They encouraged me to ride close, which is also something I had never done. Scary at first. You definitely want to make sure you don't jerk around and stay steady. I also had to watch the back tire of the person in front of me and carefully adjust my speed with theirs. It became a little easier later on in the ride when I found the drafting helped me out immensely!
We climbed some hills in PV. I had never done much hill work. It was eye-opening! The first few I felt I could get up them with little to some effort. We took a breather and watched the surfers. The waves were huge and was a nice breather. I only had one water bottle filled with Accelerade and I had to save some for the rest of the ride. Like I said, I was unprepared.
I was told the ride was going to get more hilly. I had run in the area before, but a while ago, so I wasn't too sure how long these hills were going to be. We started out and then the mother load! It was a real cardio kicker. It was a windy long steep hill. My team mates took off. I didn't expect them to stay with me and I didn't want anybody near me! I remained focused and plodded up the hill. I was in the easiest gear, spinning my legs as smoothly and quickly as possible. The hill went on and on. Turning and climbing. I thought I was going to fall off my bike at one point. I had to keep focused or it would be easy for me to just stop and get off the bike and walk it. I knew I couldn't do that. I didn't want to set up our first meeting with me quitting a hill! The team leader came down to get me. They weren't totally out of range, but they were stronger and more experienced.
We got to the top and then took a breather. I was asked if I had ever gone downhill. "
Well, not really"! I was given some pointers and off we went. I was scared sh*(#&%(*^%#^(less! I braked as evenly as possible. I was smelling something burn. Probably my brakes! It was so thrilling, but so frightening. The grade was steep and had some turns. I met them at the bottom of the hill. I couldn't help but make them laugh, I'm sure. I giggled and told them that was my first downhill. They thought I handled it o.k. I swear it was a test! They just kept coming too...
I was then told there were some rolling hills that would eventually lead us to our next big hill climb, the famous "Switchbacks". I was already tired at this point, but knew I had to keep going. How else was I getting back? They were moving at a good 20 mph the whole ride so far, except for the hills of course. I was hanging on by a thread.
Now, it occured to me I hadn't eaten a thing that morning. I ran out of the house and didn't eat. Rule # 1, eat before you ride! My approach to riding is like my approach to running.....Just do it....it doesn't always work. You gotta think ahead and plan when riding.
We hit the bottom of the "Switchbacks". We regrouped and had some of our energy drinks. One had GU, one had some gummy cubes and a Balance bar. They were very sweet and asked if I had eaten anything before. I said 'no'. They probably had a field day with that one! They shared their goodies with me and even some of their drinks. We were now about to ascend the last major hill...
Well, not much drama, except my quads were burning. I made it to the top and stayed a little behind them. The 3 ladies were in a tight pack and I was maybe 50 meters behind the rest of the way. My pace was tolerated at 17-18 mph. Once we got back into the center of Palos Verdes Estates, we encountered some traffic at the various 4-way stops. I noticed a newer model black Jeep Cherokee speeding up next to me and when I looked up I saw it crash into the rear of another SUV stopped behind 2 other cars at the stop sign. CRASH! That shocked me. I wasn't expecting to see or hear that near me. The ladies up ahead turned around to see if it was me. When they saw I was intact, they continued on their 20 mph jaunt.
We rode onto to Redondo Beach and finally stopped at Catalina Coffee. Not the best coffee, but definitely a destination for other cyclists. We parked our bikes like motorcycles at Neptune's Net. The colorful carbon and aluminum bike frames were put up against the wrought iron fence. I was cautious about leaving my bike there without a lock, but everyone was doing it. There were definitely more expensive bikes than mine.
I had a double latte and a croissant and savored every sip and bite. We sat in the sun and warmed up. It was priceless. Once we were done, we gathered up our bikes and took off for home. The ride back was challenging for me. I was tired and my legs were burning. The headwind was strong and I learned quickly to stay on one of the girl's back tire to draft. It worked as she pulled me into Playa del Rey like a tugboat and dingy. I was the dingy....of course. The other two had taken off and one stayed to sacrifice herself for me. I thanked her of course. It was nice of her not to leave me. I was again tempted to walk...not really easy to do on a busy highway.
Once we got to the jetty, I was feeling like the end was finally near. I don't think I remember much of the last stretch. I was holding on with anything and everything I had left. When we finally reached "home", I felt exhilarated and exhausted. I was proud I didn't quit and stayed with the group as much as I could. Now I'm ready for another long hilly ride. Hmmm....when's the next one?
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