A Day of Firsts on the Bike

Yesterday I went out with the Cascadia Bike Club in Seattle. Specifically, the ride was part of HPC, the High Performance Cycling group, which is for more experienced and faster cyclists. This is not a category that should include me, as I’ve only been on less than a dozen rides with a group, and have only been biking since February. But lately, I’ve been pushing myself physically quite a bit, so I thought I’d give it a shot.

The group ride leader took one look at me with my middle-range bike, unpadded shorts, and running clothes and proceeded to warn the entire group about the length and difficulty of the ride. I was so proud to gain their respect by staying with them the whole way and not being at the back of the pack. It definitely was a day of firsts for me:

• First ride with Cascadia Bike Club.
• Longest distance ride I’ve done (66 miles)
• Longest time I’ve spent in the saddle (5.5 hours)
• First really hilly ride (6000 ft in elevation gains)
• First time in a real pace line
• First time getting (and fixing!) a flat
• Fastest speed I’ve clocked on a bike (46.0 mph)
• Slowest speed I’ve clocked on a bike (while trying) (5.3 mph, going up Squaw Mountain)