Here we are, the first of September, perhaps my favorite my month of the year, and no doubt I feel off to a great start. I awoke moments before the 7 am alarm was set to go off, and I quietly put on one of Melissa’s favorite wake-up songs… Rusted Root Send me On My Way, she wiggled a bit, and slowly woke up before we sat down together for some quick breakfast. My goal for the day was to ride out to Folsom and join the Saturday Coffee Republic ride, and then return before we are to drive upcountry to catch up with my sister and a friend as they invited us to join them on their campout.
Melissa was going to join me on the way up to Folsom and when I told her we had about 15 minutes until we departed, I came into the room to gather my cycling stuff and before I could put on my heart rate monitor, I heard the buckling of her shoes, and peeked into the hall, where Melissa stood fully dressed… I was blown away, and still don’t understand how she managed to dress that quickly.
We set out to beautiful temperatures and a light crowd on the bike trail, I was surprised to pass my assistant coach Ross riding in the other direction, but didn’t have time to stop as I ended up pulling into the ride start parking lot with just a minute to spare. Melissa peeled off, and I began riding with 40 plus cyclists in their full team kits, and Zipp carbon wheels.
The ride began pretty mellow and started to pick up the pace on the back roads of Barton and Laird roads as we headed towards Loomis. We worked our way through Penryn before climbing up English Colony; I wished I had something smaller than a 13 tooth cog as we descended Sierra College Blvd. Things started to really speed up as we approached the climb on Ridge from Virginiatown. The riding in this neck of the woods is so fun with windy just winder than one lane, open country roads. At the base of the climb, two riders broke away, and I sat back in a group of 4. Steady paced, the tempo began to slow around the halfway point, and I remained in the groove as I saw the second rider falling off the leader. I managed to bridge the gap, and we started working together before he exclaimed, “push it, they are going to catch us.” I didn’t really react, as my goal for the day wasn’t to be the fastest, or fall apart, just push myself and enjoy the cycling camaradarie. When things leveled out, I asked the other if we regrouped at the base before climbing Indian Hill, the final grade before descending Auburn Folsom. He replied “no, at the top”, and so it was on. Now three, we began the gentle gradient, with views of the Central Valley, as the sweat poured off my helmet, splashing off the top tube with every drop. Nearing the top the two (clearly pals) let up a bit and we all pulled into a cul de sac and waited the arrival of the others. I was elated that I managed to hang with such strong riders, and new if I just returned safely the ride would be a success.
The group flew down Auburn Folsom and it is fun to ride with such speed with minimal work efforts shared by a cohesive bunch. Cycling reminds me of a being a kid, with the wind in my face, the feel of the road beneath you, the scenery, and the mutual respect.
I returned home to another delicious protein shake before quickly gathering my belongings to head to the mountains for a campout with the sis.
Wait not too fast, a sushi roll and teriyaki bowls at the new restaurant across the street.
A great day of bike riding…
Stats:
Group ride-
43 miles, 2690 vertical feet, 1:43 minutes, 22.6 mph average
Total-
77 miles, 3:45 minutes
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