Woke up at the crack of dawn this morning in anticipation of a long ride. Headed out to Arlington to the Quad Cycles shop to make it for the 9:30am departure. I walked in and the guys working there told me that as of Nov 1 (today), the ride starts at 10. Ok. I am 45 mins early. Hmmm. What do I do? The guys at the shop told me to just hang out and so I did ... Since this was to be my first group ride and longest ride to date, I was a little nervous. They told me not to worry, that no one gets dropped and asked if I wanted coffee. How nice. As one of the guys left to go get caffeine in a cup, the other pulled me aside and said - You know, I'll tell you this since you're nice and you're new to all this. They will drop you if you can't keep up. And by the way, you're going to be cold in that outfit. huh? Great way to make me feel at ease. I looked at him funny because I was wearing my long tights and 2 top layers along with my long finger gloves .... not to mention it was already 55* outside. Well, he says to me, you might not be cold today, but once it stars to get really cold you'll need something like this - he pulls out a jacket. Uh huh. Always a salesman.
People started to arrive and I was introduced to a couple of the regular riders. Around the same time, the two NEBC riders I was supposed to meet showed up and ... we were off. We went down Mass Ave and the pace was just around 16. Not bad. We swung over to the Minuteman and headed toward Bedford where we regrouped and split into the fast and slow packs. My NEBC counterparts were kind enough to hang with the turtles and we sped off at a comfortable pace (we ranged between 17-21 and I hit my highest to date - 24) toward Chelmsford and down to Great Brook. We encountered a series of 2-3 hills that caused me to drop back because I hadn't shifted properly and I couldn't regain my momentum to catch up with the leaders. The only thing I could think at that point was oh my god I have no idea where I am...how am I going to get home? Never to fear, I wasn't the last rider and just before the panic set in, said rider passed me and started to speed away. Crap! I picked up my pace as the pain tore through my legs and followed her the couple miles straight ahead to Carlisle where everyone had stopped for break #3. We discussed the rest of the route and due to time constraints, we decided to take the quick way back down 225 (which, I have to mention is in TERRIBLE shape) through Bedford, back down the Minuteman and into to Arlington. 30 miles completed!
It was a great morning topped off with a quick lunch with N & R from NEBC who hung with me pretty much the whole way. It was much appreciated.
Complete route is here: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2370999
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