Thursday Night Ladies and Gents Ride

Well, another 25 miles at 16.0 average speed. Getting faster and busier on this ride. I was starting to think this could get more dangerous and it seems I was right. Last night one of the nice girls went down. Good handler but I think the mass blocked the view of a hole between concrete and the blacktop at an intersection gutter type transition. I know I call out hazards but not all do. Kind of wish I had been in front of this girl last night. I think it would have helped pointing out stuff. Even when you think you're going to fast to call it out, still do. It might really help another from injury.

But a good ride. I actually rode faster last night though I did not feel like it. Felt like the hot day on GMR zapped my legs but maybe not, last night was fast but I just didn't feel it ha ha!

Of course Mike and I, maybe another couple riders get stopped at the first stop light as the pack rolls away. We ended up catching up to a small group down the road then I figured we might catch the main group. But a couple of riders in front of me seemed to slow down so I went around figuring Tony and Mike would follow. Next thing I know, I'm just about up to the pack after a good hard push on Baseline. Cool!, OK, maybe not! I was so tired by the time we caught them that I popped on that little beotch of a hill ha ha! As I slowed, they picked it up and I couldn't hold it at that moment. Once to the top though, Mike waited for me. Once I caught my breath, he hammered it and ended up catching the main pack. Mike is riding really strong so when I need a hand, he helps me out ha ha!

Later the gal crashed. Nasty sound. I was ahead so I heard it but did not see it. Such a hard hit I thought it had to be a bigger rider like Erik. But nope, little girl making that kind of a sound hitting the pavement, terrible! She ended up with a few cuts and a broken wrist. She got to be a tough gal because she was not acting like it hurt. But today saw the pics of a cut, really swelled, and the x ray of the wrist, broken bone and a fracture. I won't even show the pic because it will remind me of what can happen and I don't want to see it ha ha! I'll just be as careful as I can riding, and with Gina. Don't want anything like that to happen to my friends.

I can see by my segments that I have been improving. A 2 mile section on the gradual grind is 2.5 mph faster than the first time I did the ride. So that is an improvement! Getting faster and feeling better on the ride. That's why we do it, I guess!

The whole group is getting faster so it's harder to get face shots. Especially when I'm usually the last one out of the gate and catching the red lights. :-(




Shades of 1997 when the 3 of us started riding together. Just a lot more white hair and bare scalp ha ha ha!