A Saturday morning, high humidity, and temperatures would definitely hit the 90’s. That was the background for today’s ride – 2 club members (Dawn & I) participated in the Women on Wheels (WOW) event sponsored by Peloton Cyclist Club. This ride was dedicated to the female rider and the theme was “The Art of Climbing”.

I was one of those riders. What a day!! It started early. Meet up time was 7:00 am in Clermont, FL. For many, it was a trek. Women cyclists from all over joined up to hear Elite Coach Julie McKenzie provide an educational session on how to climb hills. And by the way, going up means there is a g downhill! She gave tips on that as well.

After hearing about how to climb, it was time to hit the hills of Clermont and all of the “famous” climbs like Sugarloaf, Buckhill, the Wall.

This ride was about training, learning. There was no pressure to ride fast. I was able to ride at my pace and work climbing skills and techniques. My fellow team member, Dawn, was as always awesome! She is a Beast rider! She provided much needed moral support and encouragement along the way. Tackling these hills are no joke.

Several coaches helped us along the way. Coach Julie of course. Tracey Draper (also an author that I had the pleasure of meeting last fall) also provided much-needed coaching and riding tips. The KBKatz from Kyle’s Bike Shop was there as well to provide additional lead support. There were so many people helping along the way that I couldn’t keep track of all the names.

This ride was not only different in being in the hills of Florida (hard to find, it’s true but there are a few) but also being on roads. We had to look out for vehicles as well as other riders. That in itself is a learning experience.

What Did I Learn?

Well, first to ride at my pace up hills. Oh, sure, that sounds easy enough but when you have people passing you right and left, you might rethink that. Don’t let the pressure of being passed get to you and maintain. Be one with the bike. Let the hill take you up it. That meant getting in that easy gear before I feel my legs hurting.  Sit up on the bike when going up so your lungs can expand and you can breathe! Breathing is so important. I had to be reminded several times about this.  Make sure to pedal properly – like scraping gum or mud off your shoe. That gets the hamstrings involved so your quads aren’t doing all the work.

Going downhill also has it’s own little nuances. My big learning today was how to sit back on the bike, tuck, hold on to the drops, and brake gently going down the hills. Some found it exhilarating, some found it a bit scary. Either way, the practice was great. There were also some simple things that were reinforced – riding in a single line, riding on the side of the road, making a u-turn.  We also practiced cornering while going downhill. I still have some work to do on that one, but riding is a learning process.

The wonderful thing about today was knowing that even though there is a lot to learn, I didn’t have to perfect everything today. This group of women that led us kept that forefront in their message. Today was a day about learning, sharing, and building new friendships and for some renewing friendships.

PCC provided SAG support. Much welcome and most definitely needed SAG support. It was a hot day. While my weather app showed only 75 at 7 am, by 10 it was HOT. We stopped after some work on Buckhill and a nice large loop. Whew…water, cokes, Gatorade, trail mix, bananas were perfect to replenish what had been lost on the rides.

We did some drills on cornering. Everyone did their own pace and repeated as many times as they were comfortable with. This drill time was well spent. Being in a larger group helps by giving us numbers. The drills, though, were done in smaller groups of 4-5 riders. So we practiced the cornering – down the hill, check behind you, check in front of you, slow to your comfort speed, move out to the left (but don’t cross-traffic), and take the turn. It’s a lot to take in! More practice, and more practice. Some of the riders already were excellent at this, some newbies (that’s my category), and some in-between. It didn’t matter. Everyone took away something, and of course, the coaching helped guide us through this to build skill and confidence.  Dawn, my teammate, was already an expert at this. She kept drilling even though she had already mastered this – just for fun (did I mention she is a Beast)!! My first time I took that corner too fast and felt those wheels slide a bit. Lesson learned. Safe, and next time I took it slower, at my pace. While I still need to work on this to master it, I can build on what I learned. As they say, practice makes perfect (or at least better).

We headed back to our starting place. It was mostly downhill (with a few uphills thrown in for good measure). Waiting for us was shade and a fantastic mimosa brunch hosted by PCC. Frittata, fruit, waffles, potatoes, and the little extras to go with these were laid out for our hungry crew. The laughter during brunch and camaraderie from finishing together was the perfect ending to a marvelous training ride.

Eric, Tim, and Rustin from PCC provided support all morning. I can’t say enough about how great it is to have them providing that support. This ride was in the middle of nowhere. 2 water bottles would not be enough to get through the grueling ride of today with all the heat. Having that kind of SAG support lets me focus on riding and learning instead of worrying about what am I going to do if I run out of water, have mechanical issues, or get lost.  I am looking forward to the next ride! And that is what it’s all about…having fun 🙂

Event Day Statistics

This is the course charted by me of the 25+ mile route over Buckhill, Sugarloaf, and Scrub Jay.

 
SAG stops: 2 – Hydration, Hydration, Hydration! and Fuel!!

Photos

Ciao,
Diana | TeamOne