Giddy-up!

My first weekend free from ski instructing! I was looking forward to it all week and the most prominent thing on my mind was getting back to my bike rides on the weekends. Up to now, I've pretty much kept to indoor spin classes or quick 2-hour rides when it wasn't raining so I was looking forward to a change of scenery and an opportunity to meet some new people who love to bike. I also needed to get some group rides with Cascade Bicycle Club under my belt if I still want to be a certified ride leader.

So, I woke up this morning to blue skies and....frost on the grass....brrr. The route today started on the northern part of Lake Washington and then up into lower Snohomish county. Total trip was going to be about 35 miles....the perfect length for early in the season and I needed my legs for my hockey game tonight.

The group (I think there was 20-25 of us?) was a little older and slower than I'm used to but it was fine with me - especially when they feed me compliments like "you look to be about college age." What?! That compliment alone fed me more energy than the two packets of Gu in my back pocket could ever give me (hahaha!). Inevitably, with any group ride, there are some riders who are faster than the rest and on the first hill climb, a handful busted out ahead and that was the group I was going to be riding with the rest of the day. Besides, I had to check out the Orbea Orca that one of the guys was riding - beautiful bike...one day I will own an Orbea. But, Orbea guy almost got me lost a couple of times so I decided to chase down "Beer Man" (he was wearing a Dos Equis XX jersey) who also happened to be a former racer. We took turns pulling each other up hills and leading our own paceline...all the while having a debate on what was the best Mexican beer. I was "Giddy-Up Girl" because of the jersey I was wearing. Ladies, you have to check out Dude Girl and their line of "Giddyup" cycling gear. I got my dividend check from REI with the full intention of buying a new bicycle computer but I saw the jersey and shorts and *had* to buy it. So, I still don't know what my average speed was on my ride or how far I rode, but on the climbs, I felt like I earned those red polka dots - haha! (The red polka dot jersey is given to the King of the Mountain on the Tour de France). Anything to motivate me on the climbs.

Not a bad start to the season. I don't know if I'll do that route again (not very scenic and too much traffic) but that's why I'm riding with the club - to check things out and find my new 'Paradise Loop.'