Ride, Ride, Ride, hitch'n a ride......

This morning the Wingman and I got up early so we could ride outside before work. The bags were packed the night before so all we had to do was load the bikes and bags in the car and head over to 'Rachel' and Teresa's house so they could join us. Ian and Joan would not be riding with us as they are in sunny, warm Arizona. We had a route planned out, but my fear of black ice made us change up the route. Also, this was to be Teresa's maiden voyage using Look pedals. She's tried them on the trainer, but on the road is another story. Once she clipped in, we were on our way. We decided to head south on CR111 towards CR51. The temps were perfect for winter riding. We were dressed in just the right amount of layers to be comfortable, but not look like a little kid that is packed into a snow suit:

We barely made it to CR51 when I hit a bump and launched my water bottle. Wingman was kind enough to stop and pick it up. Once I reloaded, we caught up with Wynn and Teresa. The ride down 51 to the county center was nice. The shoulders are nice and wide so if you want to ride along side someone you can. I kept thinking how nice it was and that I would have loved to be riding all day. Perhaps the tailwind had something to do with that. We got to the county center before we knew it. Teresa practiced unclipping and clipping back in in the parking lot. After a few minutes, we were on our way back home. And Mt. Ventoux was looming ahead. I did notice through the trees that there were some ice fishermen. If I didn't have to work I would have gone home to get the camera and then head back to take some shots. That thought distracted me enough from the approach to my old nemesis. I started to worry about my legs being tired from yesterday's hilly run and how they would handle the hill. I started the climb next to Teresa and told her we'd meet again at the top. I stood up and got a little speed going (and I mean a little speed, not a lot). I made it to the top feeling pretty good. Wynn and Wingman were waiting at the top for us. When Teresa made it up, we were off again. Since we had some flat road, I took out my little camera and grabbed a few shots:

I forgot to put the wrist strap on so it was 

floating in the photo

The sun shining down on Teresa

Teresa in hot pursuit of the guys

The Wingman and my helmet

We did well until we got back to CR111. We had to ride back to the house in a headwind. It seemed like slow going but before we knew it, we were back at their house and of course we had the obligatory group shot to pose for:

Wingman tried to pull a fast one on us. Both he and Teresa got new bikes for Valentine's Day (Wynn, how did we not get new bikes?). Wingman is under the illusion that the purchaser of the new bike is responsible for keeping it clean. Of course I strongly disagree with that logic. He attempted to get Teresa on his side but I quickly alerted Wynn to what those two were up to and I think we squashed any idea of added maintenance. As usual, we enjoyed our training ride with our Warrior training buddies. We have some fun summer training rides planned. I also put the bug in Teresa's ear for the Bermuda Triangle Challenge in January 2012. Sorry Wynn ;-)

Wingman and I quickly packed the bikes up and headed to work. It was a long day and now I have some reading to do before class tomorrow. No rest for the weary............

Saturday wrap up

Wingman and I just finished watching the women's Curling match on TV between the USA and Great Britain. I believe it was back in 2002 during the Salt Lake City games when we got hooked on Curling. Unfortunately in the US it's not on TV so we have to wait every four years in order to watch. The match tonight wen to an extra end to decide the winner. The US team came back from 2 stones down to win, 6-5.

This morning I ventured out to Kings Park to meet up with Teresa and her homeboys Wynn and Crazy Mark to run the course for a race that is coming up in a few weeks. I knew going into it that I would not be able to run the full course (9.3 miles), but we managed 7 miles today. Let me tell you, that course is wicked hilly. Teresa carried the map and off we went. The beginning was real easy. Perhaps starting out downhill had something to do with it. About 1 mile in is where the first hill comes into play. We managed to get up without an issue and I was thinking "Hey, this course isn't so bad." We chatted away and the miles seemed to float by. Then we made "the turn." There is a road named Kohr Road that we renamed "whore road." What a hill to climb. As we made our way up, I couldn't see where it ended. When I thought we were at the top, I looked right and said to Teresa "oh crap, don't look to your right." The street continues upward after a bend to the right. Finally we got to the top and found our running rhythm again. I think we faired pretty well overall. I originally thought I was going to bail after 5-6 miles, but I made it through 7, which is pretty good seeing as how I am not running very well these days. I was worried about slowing Teresa down, but she didn't seem to mind. She has become my running muse. I seem to run well when I run with her. I will join her again next weekend to tackle the same course. The group was kind enough to agree to start earlier in the morning for me so I can run longer and then get to work on time. I'm mulling the idea of signing up for the race. I'll see how I do next weekend on the course and take it from there.

Tomorrow some of my fellow Warriors (Wynn and Teresa) will be riding with the Wingman and I in the morning before I head out to work. After Wingman's bike fitting the other night, he is eager to get riding again. The order for his new bike has been placed and we should have it by mid/late April. In the meantime, he'll have to make do with his current ride.