Rosedale Ride 2015 ride report.
Oops, I don't post much when I'm not really training for anything, and therefore not doing many events, it seems. But Matt and I decided to do Easter Hill Country Tour this year, and since that involves three days of riding, I decided I should actually do some riding. I'd been riding on my trainer sporadically over the last few months, but only very sporadically. As EHCT got closer, I started doing some longer trainer rides, including several 3 and just over 3 hour rides. When the weather was perfectly decent outside sometimes. On purpose. I just couldn't bring myself to go ride outside by myself.
But then Karen and I finally met up to ride outside! First ride outside since day 2 of Ultraman back in early August 2014! We rode 3 hours.... of Shoal Creek/Great Northern loops. Ha. But at least it was outside, where there are SOME hills and some weather/wind. We were calling that tiny rise on the loop Mount WhiteRock by the end. That's how out of road-practice we were. The next week we hit a very windy Parmer for 4.5 hours, and then the next week we decided to brave up and do the Rosedale Ride!
It'd been a lot of years since I did Rosedale, and I missed it. Matt decided to ride with us, and Karen's friend Leigh Ann joined us, as well. To avoid the typical mass of ill-behaved humanity involved in group starts, we started at 8, half an hour before the actual start.
It was chilly, low 50s, at the beginning, but with a short-sleeved jersey and arm-warmers I was fine. The beginning was just lovely, and we cruised along and chatted and had a great time. Of course, we were all aware that this was because we had a stiff tailwind all the way out, and that would change, but we tried not to think about that.
We stopped at my favorite rest stop in Norman's Crossing to say hi to the horses and have a cookie, then headed back out.
Emo horses.
Some time after that, we pulled ahead of Leigh Ann, and then Matt pulled ahead of Karen and I. Left to our own devices, Karen and I missed a turn sign at one of the few non-manned turns on the course. As we went through, being surprised there was no sign telling us what to do, I actually commented that this was Coupland, and we usually would turn left and there'd be an aid station right there. We got to the highway, and pulled into our old favorite convenience store to check the map, and sure enough, we should have turned left. When we got back there (back up and over the hill we shouldn't have had to ride over), there WAS a sign there, we'd just missed it, and there as an aid station right there, as well.
Cookie Toast!
We stopped at that aid station to pee and eat another cookie, briefly rode with Leigh Ann again, who'd gotten ahead of us during our lost period, and then eventually Matt rode back and found us, as well.
As we headed back in, into our anticipated headwind, Karen started drafting off of me. This was notable, because usually Karen is pulling me and I'm suffering and she's having to wait for me on every hill. I asked if she was doing okay, and she said she was suffering. Matt stepped up and jumped in front and blocked the wind for us the rest of the ride, pulling us up the hills and back to our cars, saving the day!
Overall it was a really fun ride. It was great to get more fun ride time in with Karen, since we haven't had as much of our usual training fun recently, and really fun to get to ride with Matt, who has to slow down 4-5 mph average to stay with us.
Surely one 62 mile ride gets one plenty ready for a weekend of nearly 200 miles of riding, right?! Right!
We lived! (And found Betsy and David!)
But then Karen and I finally met up to ride outside! First ride outside since day 2 of Ultraman back in early August 2014! We rode 3 hours.... of Shoal Creek/Great Northern loops. Ha. But at least it was outside, where there are SOME hills and some weather/wind. We were calling that tiny rise on the loop Mount WhiteRock by the end. That's how out of road-practice we were. The next week we hit a very windy Parmer for 4.5 hours, and then the next week we decided to brave up and do the Rosedale Ride!
It'd been a lot of years since I did Rosedale, and I missed it. Matt decided to ride with us, and Karen's friend Leigh Ann joined us, as well. To avoid the typical mass of ill-behaved humanity involved in group starts, we started at 8, half an hour before the actual start.
It was chilly, low 50s, at the beginning, but with a short-sleeved jersey and arm-warmers I was fine. The beginning was just lovely, and we cruised along and chatted and had a great time. Of course, we were all aware that this was because we had a stiff tailwind all the way out, and that would change, but we tried not to think about that.
We stopped at my favorite rest stop in Norman's Crossing to say hi to the horses and have a cookie, then headed back out.
Emo horses.
Some time after that, we pulled ahead of Leigh Ann, and then Matt pulled ahead of Karen and I. Left to our own devices, Karen and I missed a turn sign at one of the few non-manned turns on the course. As we went through, being surprised there was no sign telling us what to do, I actually commented that this was Coupland, and we usually would turn left and there'd be an aid station right there. We got to the highway, and pulled into our old favorite convenience store to check the map, and sure enough, we should have turned left. When we got back there (back up and over the hill we shouldn't have had to ride over), there WAS a sign there, we'd just missed it, and there as an aid station right there, as well.
Cookie Toast!
We stopped at that aid station to pee and eat another cookie, briefly rode with Leigh Ann again, who'd gotten ahead of us during our lost period, and then eventually Matt rode back and found us, as well.
As we headed back in, into our anticipated headwind, Karen started drafting off of me. This was notable, because usually Karen is pulling me and I'm suffering and she's having to wait for me on every hill. I asked if she was doing okay, and she said she was suffering. Matt stepped up and jumped in front and blocked the wind for us the rest of the ride, pulling us up the hills and back to our cars, saving the day!
Overall it was a really fun ride. It was great to get more fun ride time in with Karen, since we haven't had as much of our usual training fun recently, and really fun to get to ride with Matt, who has to slow down 4-5 mph average to stay with us.
Surely one 62 mile ride gets one plenty ready for a weekend of nearly 200 miles of riding, right?! Right!
We lived! (And found Betsy and David!)