Bike Barn Ride

I have mixed feelings about the Bike Barn chain, but they put on free weekend rides so I went to check it out this morning. The ride was pretty cool. It was a 24 mile ride starting in Rice Village, going through the Heights, Downtown, Med Center and back up to Rice Village. There are a few over passes, so you get a little bit of elevation change and some great views of downtown.


What was great is that everyone there was a seasoned rider. About 25-30 people this morning, so you could easily find someone to talk to and ride with. I am not so fast, so I stuck to the back as to not get crowded and then ended up catching some red lights. I spent most of the ride with 3 others. Luckily two of them do this ride every week and knew the way well. I had trouble sticking to them sometimes. It was good for me to work hard and keep up. I was dependent on them for directions. So pretty good workout.

It really showed me how my skill had decreased and how out of practice I was. I was slow to clip in, forgot to bring electrolytes(oops), and was tired by the end of the ride. I forgot to turn on the computer, thus I have no idea what my avg speed was or how fast I was going at any time. I think that was good actually. I didn't think about speed and just focused on my form and keeping up with the group. I do know we finished in under just under 2hrs. Next time I'll try to stick with the pack and not lag behind.

Met some nice people. One was a Hanszen '79 graduate now Psychiatrist. Meeting people is half the fun sometimes.