Hitting the Road

This weekend's weather has been too beautiful to be sitting inside updating the blog. The Saturday morning Lakemont Ride had about 200 riders overall, and at least 100 alone in the B ride that I participate in. I felt better than ever in the saddle and had plenty of juice to keep up with the pack.

I do have 2 lessons learned from Saturday. The first one is something that most people know, but I have just now become a believer in. The Lakemont Ride is only 2 hours, so I haven't been taking any food/energy supplements, but I have been feeling drained on the past few weeks when we picked up the pace and felt that a few extra calories couldn't hurt. I packed a small peanut butter sandwich and it hit the spot. I could only eat a bite at a time, but that helped ration it out throughout the whole ride. My advice: If you are riding over an hour, pack a small snack or energy supplement. This will give you the boost you need to get you down the road.

The second lesson came from a friend of mine, but I have personal experience in this too. My friend got some new SPD pedals and even though she clipped in and out a few times on Friday night, during her ride in Clermont, she fell 2 times. She didn't fall because of the clips being too tight or not functioning properly, but because she didn't realize which foot she instinctively put down on the ground first. I had this same experience with my toe in clipless pedals, but I just fell over and hurt my pride. She actually received some nasty road burn and a few bruises. She is good now, but I recommend clipping in and out along a fence or wall for practice, and the support if you can't get out of your pedals.

Ride on and ride safe!