Did Aquaman just pass me??

It was a wet nasty one at the 16th Annual Hodges Village Dam race on Sunday... but I'll tell you all about that when I finally get all the gritty sand/mud out of every crevasse (I'm talking bike and body).  The HiFi lived to make it through, though it sounded like it wanted to die - my brakes weren't so lucky....

So what will you hear about today??  How about the Thursday Night Social Ride over at Burlington Landlocked Forest!!!

Bottom line, it was sweet!

My first group ride and it looked to be well attended.  There were certainly the "elites" out there ready to get that race pace going.  I wasn't sure where I would fall in with the rest of the riders, and honestly - with a race coming - I wanted a mellower ride to stretch out the legs and get on some of those trails I had seen in Thom P's video.  I signed in and waited to get started.  We would be breaking into 4 groups... the FAST, the ladies, and the intermediates (slow and fast).  The intermediates (where I settled in) was a large group, so we headed out together and used the first bit of new singletrack to weed out the fast and slow and separated from there.  The pace was good and I could have gone with either group I think, but I chose to lay back and take the easier group.

It was strange riding in a group at first because I had to pace myself off of the rider in front of me - which both pulled and slowed me at times.  Off the bat I did have to pass a rider who was struggling on a hill and I wondered what the protocol was for group rides and passing... it wasn't a race so I did wait quite a while before feeling like I HAD to get in front of him, and took him in a wide open location... but still, I wasn't sure if that was kosher.  So from there whenever we stopped I tried to position myself in the top half/third to ensure I'd be able to keep pace but not be tripping over someone.

Not to say that I didn't trip others up myself, I'm sure I did as I did hit a snag here or there.  But it was a great ride overall.  Got my sweat on and hit some sweet trails I had never been on before.  It was strange to come across the other groups from time to time... just lines of riders passing each other going in every direction.  Overall I think the ride leaders did a great job in routes and spreading us out so there weren't traffic jams between the groups.

I am looking forward to this Thursday - hopefully I'll be able to make it back out again.  Group rides are definitely a necessity going forward though.  A great opportunity to keep the pace up and not worry about routes - just follow and ride.  And with the various groupings available, a great workout/training for racing.  I'll have to jump in on them early next season.

Thursday Night

So I'm doing it.

I'm finally jumping in on the group ride put on by GBNEMBA over at Burlington Landlocked Forest.  I've been wanting to get in on a regular group ride since... well the beginning of this season.  Since I got back into mountain biking I've been riding on my own - well, with the occasional ride in strange places with Mongo, and now my rides with Annie - but for the most part I've been tackling trails solo.

Riding solo can only get you so far... because you will inevitably keep getting in your own way.  The fears creep in and keep you from trying that technical section.  The legs asking to go home - and when alone there is no escaping their cries - leaving you incapable of mustering enough willpower to stay out for a few extra miles.  Missing the unknown trails for many rides until you accidentally stumble upon them...

Riding with others (hopefully stronger riders) lets you see that the scary rock in the trail isn't so scary and can truly be conquered.  It helps you pick up your pace (and keep it up) instead of sitting back and coasting when you feel a little tired.  It introduces you to new features, better routes, or better lines for that matter.  So, a few days before my next race, I'll be finally jumping in on a group ride tonight.

Thom P. has been frequenting the ride lately and his little videos got me itching to get back over to LLF.  I haven't ridden there in a bit, but I've always enjoyed it.  And from his video, there are sections I must have missed in previous visits.  So I'm excited to explore.  I won't be riding with Thom P. and the speed demons, but it will be fun nonetheless.

Side note.  I've ordered myself a product that has been pimped by Dicky, and I'm hoping it will be here in time for the race.  No biggie if it's not, it isn't vital to bike performance... but it would be nice to get a "racier" race set up going on... or at least one step closer to that.  The actual reason isn't so much race inspired as it is practicality laziness on my part.  It would be nice to be able to bundle a 26er tube on the 4300 so I don't have to worry about checking tubes and digging out the right one when I jump from the HiFi to the 4300 to ride with Annie... but on the race tip - I did get a sweet orange strap for the HiFi.