The second group ride I took with the Bicycle Club of Philadelphia was very different from the first. I had a great time, but it was a very different ride than what I expected, and proved the wisdom of my earlier advisors, who explained that the precise nature of a “D” ride depends on the leader more than the category. In fairness, though, this ride was rated at D, D+, C-; as it turns out, this particular version was probably a bit above my correct level, at this point. (Though, obviously, I survived!)
This ride went from the Azalea Garden to the Farmer’s Market and Trader Joe’s, in Ardmore. The leader was cheery and friendly, and so were the other cyclists. We took a break at the Farmer’s Market, which was bustling inside, but pretty generic outside –probably because it’s December, and fairly cold out. Here’s Basil, with a bunch of other bicycles, outside:
Some of us purchased lunches and ate them in a little area next to the sushi counter, somewhat to the sushi chef’s dismay, as he would have preferred the seats be left empty for his customers (though there were none at that time). He was nice about it, but it obviously bothered him. He offers a good range of choices, including several seaweed salads.
I learned some interesting things. First, although I was capable of going up short hills more rapidly than the other riders, their slow initial climbs caused me to drop back in order to avoid overtaking. I attribute this to gearing range differences. On the longest, steepest, inclines, I fell far behind. That was due, in part, to the leader having increased the speed on the return trip considerably, particularly the incline speeds. We were well out of D speed range on the return — that didn’t matter on the flats or downhills, but it did matter, for me, on the inclines.
The leader told us that there was only one hill, but, as another rider observed, that was not the case. In total, we climbed over 1,000 feet, according to my Garmin, and, no, it wasn’t all in one go!
It was a bit disconcerting that at one point I was significantly behind the others for a lengthy period of time, and the leader never once looked back. On virtually all of the return trip, we were on our own — to the extent that she went through a yellow signal on a major road, leaving us behind at the red. (Though she waited until the signal changed and the rest of us made it through before proceeding.) I was able to catch up without missing any turns, but the tension caused by the uncertainty didn’t enhance the ride any. As a D rider, and one unfamiliar with Philadelphia geography, I lack sufficient experience to find my way back, even with a cue sheet (not much experience there, either).
At the start of both rides, each leader said “We will obey all traffic laws”. In each case, that did not prove to be the case — not even close — though that wasn’t a particularly egregious issue on my first ride. It was on this one. This raises some significant philosophical issues, which I intend to address in a later post.
It was a good day, and a good ride, in spite of some worrisome moments.