First Group Ride of 2018

I'm just dropping in to give you a quick update on the first group ride of this year. More importantly, I also think you should stay tuned for a special edition of the Kalamazoo Cyclist: April Fool's Day for Cyclists. I'll try to have it posted tomorrow, and within will be a summary of my favorite April Fool's Day ideas...for cyclists...I guess the title is fairly straightforward.

So, back to the ride:

The weather was slightly above 50 degrees, with the wind out of the southeast, or mostly south.

The first 7 miles were basically straight east from work to the meeting place, so far so good.

Then there was a group of six of us that went on the "Lawton ride" also known as the fast group...or something like that.

We started out with the wind and pedaling at an easy pace. So I'm about 20 miles in to the ride and my legs, lungs, and brain are all feeling pretty good.

That is when I made my first mistake.

As we started heading south (into the wind) I took over for a few turns "pulling" the group. By the time we turned back east, still into the wind, I was definitely starting to wear down. For those of you new to cycling, it's important to remember: In a group ride, NEVER take the lead position, ALWAYS stay in the middle-back drafting from the other riders.

Finally, I made my way to the middle-back and settled in.

Now here is my second mistake.

Water. During the decision making process prior to the ride, I determined that it was a one bottle day. However, when the weather is cool and you are feeling good, you don't realize that you are thirsty. Even if you have been pedaling in circles for over an hour.

By the time we made the turn north, there was probably only 10-12 ounces of water missing from my bottle. I'm pretty sure that's what the nutritionists recommend, right?

Now, if you remember, this is also the final stretch and the wind is at our backs. So the group is taking off and averaging about 25-26 mph. At least that's what I think they were averaging.

I hung on the back for about half of the 6 mile home stretch and then slowly backed off to 23 mph or so to finish out. My first excuse is that my hamstring tightened up, likely due to a lack of water. However, it is quite likely that my lungs would have given out either way.

I count it a success that I hung on enough to finish in sight of the rest of the group. Some people have told me they've been completely dropped...out of sight...and that, of course, has never happened to me.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll be back for more punishment next week.

-Clay