Flutterby™! : a good day 2006-03-20 02:01:58.030935+00

a good day

2006-03-20 02:01:58.030935+00 by Dan Lyke 4 comments

Just got home from 75 miles on the new bike with a Marin Cyclists organized ride, Lagunitas to Fairfax, back out through Nicasio to Marshall, down to Point Reyes Station, back through Nicasio back to Fairfax, and home. We had an in-shape tandem team (four of the six folks on the ride were doing a laid-back week before a tough century next weekend), and they pulled from the Hog Island Oyster Company at Marshall down to Point Reyes Station (both at sea level, with rolling hills in between), which made that an incredible run; until the last hill I don't think we dropped below 20 MPH. I need to do some saddle adjustments, and it was kind of disheartening to realize that on the A (10-15 MPH, regular regroups) through D (18+ average with 24-35 MPH pacelines) ride scale, I'm somewhere in between an A and a B...

And while walking my bike back to the car (actual sequence of events was Lagunitas to Fairfax, realized I forgot my wallet, bike back to Lagunitas, get in car, drive to Fairfax) I got two "nice bike", closer look, "whoah, really nice bike", and we got to talking about components and such. So I'm happy with my decision...

Grin. Just looking forward to that next 20+ MPH paceline... really. I get nooooo kick from people ogling my posessions. Okay, maybe just a little kick. Uhhh... did I mention that I now feel like I have to carry a lock?

Oh yeah: I should also note that somehow I went through my first road-biking phase (back in high school) without doing much (if any) pacelining. I had some people I rode with, but I don't think we ever got into that space where one was leading hard and the others were trying to maintain a short distance off the rear wheel of the one ahead, without overlapping wheels, and without causing accordioning of the line behind.

If you are a road biker who hasn't had the experience of such a group ride, go find a group. I've done a little following at a distance out around the Nicasio reservoir, but this was the first time where I was feeling comfortable getting right inside the group, trading the lead (although I still don't have a feel for how fast to go when I take the lead), having someone right on my tail, especially when I'm inside the pack (which is scary and unnerving at first and I'm still getting used to it)...

But it's one of those total focus activities, and when a group can hold it together like we did on that Marshall to Point Reyes Station run it's an amazing feeling.

In almost anything: Dancing, Sex, Bicycling, Sex, Caving, Sex, Programming.. Sex.. sometimes everyone and everything clicks, a "gestalt" happens that is this incredible feeling. I grok and am jealous.