So I've been admittedly obsessive about my cycling progress, determined to use my ample (and blessed) free time to get up to a somewhat middle ground fitness level. I've been logging 100+ miles a week, every week, since starting my adventure 3 weeks ago. I've also been riding mostly solo or with one other person, thus eliminating the draft advantage. By asking my riding mates, I've found out that I've been averaging a 16-17 mph pace. I know that hills are still kicking my ass, but they are getting easier. I'm even starting to venture out of the saddle in attack mode, rather than passively spinning my way up at a snail's pace.
In that spirit, I decided to branch out into my first "official" B ride. Two days ago, I met up at 6pm for a ride that left out of Hester Park. I didn't know who was going to show up. Turns out it was guys. A whole bunch of guys. Some of them looked very hardcore. All of them were eyeing me up a little bit.
Now guy rides are usually a bit more, and understandably more, testosterone based. The harder core you get, the more friendly gets sucked out and the more kick-your-butt-don't-hold-me-back gets injected into the mold.
My conversations pre-ride (the two people who talked to me) went like this:
Them: So, are you new to the area?
Me: Yeah, I just moved here last August.
Them: How long have you been cycling?
Me: About a month.
::pause::
That was about it. The vibe was clearly on the "don't-hold-me-back" side. Even if they didn't MEAN to send out that vibe, that was the vibe that I caught. Definite "we notice you're little and a girl and have only been riding for a month" vibe.
Please let me say that I knew these were all perfectly nice people. But please also let me say that once a guy puts on bike clothes, and gets on a bike, more often than not, even if they are perfectly nice people in any other context, it's open season.
And I was on the menu.
So we begin.
First thing I notice? It's a lot easier than I expected. I was in the middle of the paceline, and coasted a great deal of the time. I also notice that chit chat is nonexistent.
First time I have to step up? We are coming to a sharp right turn, we are going what feels to be about 18mph, and we are not slowing down. At all. If I tapped my brakes, the guy behind me would be in trouble. So I muster my courage, remember my practice at Country Park, and TURN.
I make it.
Heart rate slows.
Eventually, it's my turn to lead the pace line. All I'm thinking is "don't slow down, don't hold people back, don't slow down, gogogo!"
So I do. I go. I kick it into the big ring. I see a hill. I build momentum. Up the hill, I stand up out of the saddle and keep at it. I can't breath, but I'm too scared to slow down.
Thankfully, there is a stop sign at the top of said hill. I reach it, struggle to catch my breath, turn around...
....and find that everyone else is behind. Waaaaay behind. Except for one guy who looks like he could eat my pace for breakfast.
"You crushed them," he says.
And I did. I also felt horrible about it. The last thing I meant to do was act like a jerk on my first ride. I also knew that I pushed myself to my limit to do it.
The end result, though? Well, I definitely felt like a part of the club for the rest of the ride. I even stayed with the front group and hammered it home, going about 19-22 mph for the last 4-5 miles and leading the group at that pace for a short time.
When we arrived back in the parking lot, I was met with smiles, Good Jobs, Great Rides, and other comments. To say that I was glowing could be an understatement. There's nothing better than feeling like you belong, like you passed whatever test you were silently being put through. People introduced themselves to me, asked me more questions, and even shared some great advice. One even suggested I ride one of the weekly B rides that I know to be somewhat harder core than the one I just completed. I was being invited into the club.
I know that not all B rides are the same, and each ride depends solely on the group that turns out. I kept up with this ride, but that in no way guarantees success on the next ride. I will be dropped at some point. It's inevitable. It's more certain than the sunrise. But still. This time, I kept up with the boys. For a former diehard Tomboy, it was a return to the glory days.
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