Friday, September 16, 2011

A man without a country.. or a gal without her team ;-\

Last weekend, the Team Hole in the Wall challenge, was the first organized ride I have done without my TNT team mates. I have to stop and think about just what that means. It was a much smaller ride than I am used to, and by small, I mean there were far fewer riders than I am used to. The periods of  being alone, were much more frequent than any other group ride I have ever been on. They weren't bad, just different than what I usually see in an organized ride. Billy was there, but by mile 50, I was starting to slow and he, well, he wasn't. So, I found myself lagging behind. It was fine, but my usually 'peeps' weren't there. No Coach Henry, telling me in his booming voice to soften my elbows; no Coach Dave, with his dry sense of humor. No Rita coming up behind me on a hill, saying 'we love to ride our bicycles', no Jen. NO JEN!!! NO JEN??? Nope, no Jen, I can't do a ride without Jen!!!! No Pauly and none of the banter that we typically enjoy on our training and event rides. Just me and Billy. And for quite a while, just me.

OH.. yeah.. new Team Hole in the Wall jersey. Don't ask.
But, just me is okay! I finished. I did get lost at the end and took a wrong turn, which probably added a mile or so to the ride, but I finished, with Billy sitting there waiting, and the support group ringing cowbells, and the tears in my eyes (okay, so that is the same, with or without my team).

I think, like a kid taking the car out on the road right after they get their license, this is a step for me. A big step in my independence as a cyclist. I needed this. I needed to know I could do a ride on my own. Having signed up for Peak Season in Lake George (so far about 200 riders), the Team Hole in the Wall was good practice for me riding without the team, gaining that independence. I made it the 62 without my team, so I am pretty sure I will make the 100 on my own too.  But, will it be as much fun?

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