I haven’t been out on the bike recently. It’s been a combination of things. I took a few rides that saw me trailing badly off the back. I seem to be fine for the first 50kms, but struggle after that. Granted the groups I went out with were fast. It should also be said that they were kind enough to wait for me at stop signs, or when we had to make a turn. While I appreciated that, I felt bad for holding them up. Once they were gone in the distance, it was hard to find the motivation.

This morning was different. Though the temptation was to stay in bed and miss the ride, I managed to rouse myself in time to make the meeting point. Pre-ride camaraderie is really something great. It isn’t the only reason to ride, but it is one of them. Cyclists in the club are some good people.

Today we finally had a C group, so I felt pretty good about going out with them. There were only 4 of us, but that didn’t bother me. We practiced various pace lines, and for a time had a really fast pace. We didn’t hit too many big hills, but we put in a decent ride. As for me, I managed to keep it going until the 60km mark. At that point I was burnt out and definitely slowing down. I should probably turn off Strava before that happens so my rides look more impressive.

The weather was pretty good, except for the slight headwind we had on the way back. I actually didn’t mind it and managed to do quite a few turns at the front. However, long gentle slopes and headwinds were a bit too much and I saw myself slowing down quite a bit. The scenery was also pretty good and I am glad I was with a group or I might have stopped to take too many pictures.