Ride Report 9/5

43.1 mile group ride with Sacramento Wheelmen, Garden Hwy to Power Line, Elverta Rd and back

Today I continue my growing self-masochistic tendencies and join the "lively" Sacramento Wheelman Saturday morning ride. I know I'm going to get my ass handed to me; it's just a matter of how badly.

Since I show up with T, everyone assumes I know what I'm doing or that T has filled me in as we set off from downtown. As we head north, the speed is not too extreme, but as soon as we hit Garden Hwy, we are close to 20mph and I'm in trouble. I try to hang on to the group, but as the pace picks up to 22-23mph, I get dropped off the back a couple times and T has to actually push me along to catch up to the group. My heartrate is in the 180s and I'm starting to panic. I'm pushing the big gears, but it's too draining. At the halfway point, several riders congratulate me and tell me "Good job." When I complain that I can't keep up, one of them tells me that if I'm close enough that the group waits for me, it still counts.

When we regroup, I desperately suck down some water, but my body is in too much stress to be hungry even after 15 miles or so. The pace picks up immediately, and I get dropped off the back within a couple miles. I'm frustrated and refuse T's offer to push me back up to the group. Thankfully, he lets me get dropped and we tootle along the last half of the ride at about 15mph.