When I ventured forth into my very first group ride, the first thing I learned was: this is fast. Not just "wow we are pushing," more like "holy shit we are hauling ass." And when the hammer dropped, it got hairy.
too.... close....
The second thing I learned was: don't be afraid of grabbing the wheel and sitting in close. Real close. So close that you can scarcely believe you should be doing this and everything in your head is screaming for you to just get the hell away. For some reason, you don't and it feels good. "ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT COCAINE OR SOMETHING?"
No, its cycling...
The last thing I learned was: hand signals are the best and easiest means of communication. There are some moments when you can scream simple commands like left, right, or clear. But, with a deafening wind and the rush of drafting another cyclist, sometimes you will not get the message.
No ears on this guy.
I will be the first to admit, I was as squirrely as it gets on my first group ride. I am thankful for my adopted riding mates from The Pembroke Cycle Ride for their patience. Their route usually starts a bit on the south side for Broward County, but I caught them on their turn around point close to Sawgrass and we went from there. The speed gradually crept up and, when we made the turn onto Florida State Road 84, the hammer dropped. Holding at around 21 mph, we quickly gained pace to 25 mph. This being my first group ride, I was struggling to keep in the draft and to overcome my fear of the rider's wheel ahead of me.
terrifying
Aside from the art, not to many OC images this time. So I'll just leave the video here. Let me know what you guys think, and make sure to subscribe and like!
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