Training Ride

Last Saturday I got up bright and early and met several other cyclists for the first training ride of the year for the Carti Tour de Rock.  I was a little intimidated when I arrived. It was mostly men and you could tell most of the people there had been doing this kind of thing for a while!

They divided us into groups - the fast group, the middle group and the slower group.  I of course made my way to the slow group where I met some great people!  Maybe this won't be so bad after all!

After a talk about safety, all of the groups slowly started making their way out.  We headed outside of NLR heading toward England.  It was windy, it was cold and the sun was no where in sight!  I can proudly say that I wasn't the slowest person there! Woo hoooooo!!  I even passed several bikers....guess I'm a little better at this than I thought!

After some great conversation along the way, I finished the 30 mile ride a little after 10:00.  I talked again with one of the ladies I met about some upcoming rides that we were planning on doing and then off to the bike store I went.  I'm working on finding the right kinds of "energy foods" to eat while biking, I purchased a few different things and I have found that I really love the Jelly Belly Sport Beans!!

I headed to Burns Park for some afternoon riding and managed to get in another 30 or so miles.  WOW....that's 60 miles in one day!! I felt so good!  The sun finally came out and it turned into a beautiful day, even if it was still windy!

This Saturday, I'm scheduled to ride in my first tour of this year - the 65 Roses in Searcy.  Last check of the weather shows we may be in for some rain/thundershowers.  If it's raining (lightly) in the morning, I will probably break out the MTB.  I won't be riding at all if it's raining hard!  I get cold too easy and I'm just not into a rainy ride!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will hold out - this is a great cause, and I'm looking forward to great ride!

50 Mile Club

I finally did it! I rode 50 miles in one day!!! I did the River Trail loop 3 times, then had to do some extra riding around Burns Park to get in the full fifty. My goal is to be able to ride 100 miles in a day by the end of this year, so I'm halfway there! 

So now you're probably asking...."How long did it that take you to do that?" Well that's the sad part. It took me 4 hours! The wind was not in my favor, and I was starting to get pretty tired by the end. I have got to learn how to increase my speed and maintain my fuel. I took a short break for a snack, but after eating and then getting back on the bike, I felt way too full....and I didn't even eat much!

More research and trail and error is needed on my part for sure! I'm working on dropping some more weight which should help a bit. I don't know if I can drop some of the items I carry with me on my bike because I feel safe knowing I have everything I could possibly need. I need to reevaluate some of my exercises that I do when I'm not riding...maybe work more on strength training and interval training. And of course asking experienced riders about some of these issues will help me tremendously!

So now that I've met another goal, it's on to the next one!! Two more weeks until the 65 Roses Tour in Searcy. I hope I can do it! And I hope I can do it without it killing me or taking all day! This ride is sure to be a challenge because there are a ton of hills! I guess we'll see...I'll be keeping my fingers crossed!!

Oh No!!...a flat!

One of my biggest fears and challenges has been a flat tire! I recently experienced this on a ride coming back from Brinkley. I was just out of town heading back when I heard air coming from my rear tire. I pulled into a drive way and did the only thing I could at the time - I called for a ride!

My son came and picked me up and on the way home I decided I'd watch videos online and try to learn how to change my own tire, afterall...I had everything to do it...I just needed the knowledge. After a couple of hours I finally got it done! My only problem now was getting the tire back on the bike, and lucky for me, someone came and showed me how.

I stopped by one of my favorite bike shops and let the guy there check it out. He said I did a great job except that the bike tire needed to be switched around so that the labels were on the same side of the bike with the gears. Oh great...more practice in tire changing since switching it would involve breaking it down.

While I was there I picked up some Co2 cartridges and extra tubes! The Co2 was a challenge in itself because somehow I managed to pick out one that was defective! Another trip to the bike shop confirmed this. I swapped it out with a new and different one and now I'm good to go!

I've accomplished something now that I've needed to learn for a long time!....changing my own flat!! I feel so much more independent now!! I can proudly say I've ridden a couple of times since I've changed my own flat and it has held up beautifully :)

There's so much to learn when it comes to riding! I'm excited about learning new things and I'm ready to meet all the challenges that come my way! I have a bike tour coming up in 3 weeks. I signed up for 65 miles...the longest one for me yet. My challenge is going to be finishing it....I don't know how long it will take me....but I'm going to do it!!!!

Happy riding :)