How to get lost 101

I’ve started looking forward to my Saturday morning rides with my Outlaws. When I wake up I initially think about how I’d rather be in bed sleeping in, but once I’m up and then at our meeting place, I’m always glad that I got up and went out. It’s always good to ride with them. I build speed that way. And I always am able to keep up with them for about 10 miles (at a pace of 17-19mph) and then I get dropped off because I can’t hang onto that pace (at least not yet).

This weekend was no different. I got up, I went down and met them, had the lovely time of changing another tire because I blew mine up while pumping it (something about these tubes not liking 130psi and me not remembering that I need to stop at 120psi), and then we were on the road. I love riding in a pack with them, it’s just cool to be right behind them and have someone right beside me.

So, I was with the pack for about 8 miles, and then I got dropped, but it was all good because I could still see their jerseys. Or so I thought. At about 12 miles when the jerseys I were following turned onto a dead end road (that looked like it was a cul-de-sac that didn’t have houses around it yet) I knew I was following the wrong jerseys. I asked them if they were Outlaws and they just looked at me like I was crazy and then asked if I were part of a group and I said yes and they said, “no, we’re not your outlaws”.

So, I went back the way I had followed them, and then, not knowing where to turn, I kept going all the way back to the beginning (because that’s the only way I knew to go).

I was out for 1:44:14, I went 26.39 miles, I averaged 15.1mph, and I went a max of 22.5mph. It was a good easy spin considering I had a half marathon to run the next next day.

After I was done loading my bike, Matt (I think that’s his name) convinced me to run out and back 7 minutes each way, he said doing so will help me in my transitions during my tris so I went out and back, at an easy walk/jog pace and that was the end of my Saturday workout.

This weeks lesson was “make sure you’re following the right jerseys or you’re gonna get lost.”