Yesterday I participated in my very first group cycling event. Frankly, I was very nervous going into the event -- despite words of encouragement (and some very good advice) from my WISH buddies here and on FACEBOOK. At home, I ride on a bike trail (no traffic, no traffic laws -- and no cyclists in close proximity) on my "fat tire" bike -- a Trek Navigator. I love riding on the quiet bike trail and I wanted to incorporate more cross-training to give my Achilles tendonitis and ITB issues time to resolve themselves, so trying out some of the
many group rides in my area seemed like a good idea.
The ride I picked was the NC Blueberry Festival's Tour de Blueberry 13 mile fun ride. (They also had a 9 mile fun ride, as well as a 21 mile "tour.") The festival also has a 5K -- and believe me, as I drove past the bibbed runners on my way to the bike ride I asked myself more than once, "Why didn't you just do the 5K? You
know how to do a 5K!"
Oddly, it wasn't finishing last that I feared (I expected to finish last), it was getting lost or getting hurt (crashing). Neither happened -- well, unless you count my fall on the bike Friday night as I took my last "test ride". No kidding. I did a little loop around the yard just to check things out, stopped the bike, got my pants leg hung on one of the pedals as I was dismounting, fell and landed flat on my back in my own yard. Blam! Not the sort of omen I had hoped for.
Yesterday was hot. When I finished, it was 91 degrees. When I left the Blueberry Festival an hour later, it was 97. I heard that they cancelled the longest route yesterday (thirty-something miles) because of the forecasted temps. Despite that, though, I picked a good ride for my first.
Things I learned:
- I need to ride more. Despite my training rides, I was really woefully underprepared for this one. It's amazing how I could feel the slightest rise in the road by about mile 9 -- things that I wouldn't even have called hills on foot. I suspect it was a combination of going faster (because I was in a group) and somewhat farther in the heat.
- I need to swap out my fat tires when I ride on the pavement or invest in a used road bike. A few others on the fun rides had mountain bikes or other non-road bikes, but it was pretty obvious that the road bikes were just a lot more efficient on the pavement. (And I'm sure their riders were in better shape, which certainly helped.
)
- In this case, there was nothing to fear. The volunteers were very nice -- Big shout out to the Cape Fear Cylists! The roads were primarily flat the entire way and almost entirely without traffic. Every turn was clearly marked. And there were three escorts (bike club volunteers who made certain no one got lost and everyone felt okay) just for my 13mi group. Very well-supported ride! Many fellow cyclists were very encouraging as well -- I guess the panic on my face was pretty obvious.
Bottom line, I was the final finisher on the 13mi ride -- but I had two Cape Fear Cyclists with me through the last miles. I got a neat shirt and cool LED flashlight in my goodie bag from the ride...
...and bought a neat shirt and visor from the Blueberry Festival. The festival is an inviting small-town street fair with an antique car show, live music, loads of food stands [selling State Fair kinds of food I couldn't eat -- even Blueberry Barbecue
] and commercial booths with token giveaways.
Overall, a good time -- and a real inspiration to get out on the bike more so I can perform a bit better next time.
GO! WISH Team GO! 
