First Group Ride Experience

VARacer

Not sure where to post this thread, but since all of my posts were here I thought I would "speak" to the same crowd.

Due much to the encouragement of the folks in this forum I joined my first group ride at a local bike shop last weekend. I started seriously training a few months ago with the intention of being able to race this spring. I peppered this forum with newbie power questions and read as much as I could on this forum from other threads.

My friend and I committed to meet at the bike shop last weekend for their weekly Sunday ride. I was told it was a mixed pace ride of varying levels. My intention was to ride with my friend in whatever pace he wanted and get used to riding in a group. Well, we made a small mistake. It was not a mixed pace ride. It was actually a scheduled A+++ ride. Oops.

By choice, my friend and I hung at the back from the start. After the first few miles we noticed that we were moving along at 25mph+. The group necessarily splintered after a few stop signs. I remained at the back with my friend. After about 5 miles my friend pulled along side me and asked if I wanted to chase down the group in front of us (about 1/2 up). I agreed and my friend proceeded to bury himself with me in his draft. I soon slingshotted around and bolted for the group ahead. Well, after about another 1/2 mile my friend had dropped back and it was just me.

I began to leap frog up the road. Catching a group, resting and taking off for the next group. With about 5 miles to go I caught the lead group. Actually, "caught" is used loosely. By this point my matchbook was exhausted and I yo-yo'd off the back of the lead group never actually able to integrate. A couple of other riders fell off the lead group and we came back to the bike shop working together as a small group behind the lead pack. My friend later told me that he knew I would be bored at his pace and wanted to help me along.

I got to chat a lot with some of the riders on the bike shop race team and was asked to join given that I was a "very strong rider". This first group ride was an amazing experience which I am sure all of you cannot connect with.

So, what's my point? I think that a lot of beginning riders are apprehensive about taking the plunge. For some it is fear that they may not stack up well against others. Whatever the case encouragement from those on this forum and unselfish acts of friends made all the difference to me. I now look forward to a promising racing season.