I like people. I love running with my Jax Galloway BRFs…any chance I get to run with them during the week, I am more than willing. Unless I hear the call of my bed, then … I swim alone but I will and have shared the pool lane with strangers and have swam with the Stellar TRI group for my one and only OWS. But I draw the line when it comes to cycling. I will ride with Chris my husband or my son Aaron, but most of the time I am a loner.
Don’t get me wrong, I have done races such as the Donna Bike(6.2 on the beach, 13.1, and 26.2 at Creekside) , the Marty biathlon, and a couple of TRI’s. However, I have never ridden in an official group ride and try to stay away from other cyclists. Why? I’m a super klutz. I don’t clip in, I love sightseeing, and I’m not in a cycling group.
Then my Jax Galloway friends tell me about an all women cycling group that goes out and doesn’t drop you. My motto: leave no runner behind, someone has the same motto for the bike?! So we meet one June morning at Open Road Bicycle on Hendricks and I decide I’m doing 30 miles with group A fasties. The ride 18mph+, I quickly fall behind, but that’s okay I’m terrified of riding and either falling off or causing a cycle crash in classic Tour De France style. Alone is good. I make it to Mandarin Park, and get “looks”-oh yes I did! So going back and the male owner of Open Road takes me under his wing and we ride back together. I nearly wobble into him and nearly run into a car mirror because we’re talking, but luckily we make it back. Klutz!
Then we form our own group The Cycling Goddeses and decide to ride our first bridge together-Wonderwood. Easy pace, feeling good and then the bottom falls out-thunder, lightning, and rain! Then the worst possible luck, one of our ladies has a flat! Did I mention we were on the Wonderwood Bridge? Did I mention only one of us knew how to change a tube? Live and learn, and we all made it back to run and ride again!
This past Sunday, I decided I was going to try another no drop all female group ride at Open Road at Jax Beach. I was nervous but I made myself go out anyway. It was ladies I knew and although just about everybody has bike shoes with clips(I had my newtons and Sheena had her Brooks), I felt okay. I opted for just 15-17 miles as opposed to 38 because I wanted to continue to build up my group ride confidence. I was the last person in the group and hung out there with my bike a couple of inches behind the person in front of me. We called out pitfalls in the road, when we slowed down, and when there was a car back. No pressure, no stress and only 1 flat tire-not mine. At the flip point at Mickler’s Landing, I tried the speedier group and was able to keep my speed between 15-16 mph. I again keep distance, but I was still pretty close to the next rider. At the end, I felt really good that I had ridden without any mishaps. Baby steps, normal steps…cycle goddess in training.
Remember it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey
Mercedes
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