The Spirited Cyclist Group Ride

After a few weeks of riding 30+ miles on several different group rides, I started looking for something a little longer. Then, I stumbled across "The Spirited Cyclist" groups rides. They have rides of 3 different lengths: 27, 32, and 50.

Hummmm. 50 miles, this sounds just about right to me. And according to the website, they ride about 17 to 18 mph.

They meet behind the bike shop in Huntersville at 7:50 and roll out at 8 am.

Over the first 15 miles, the pace was pretty reasonable. Although, my quads were left with a stinging feeling after the Grey Road hill climb in Davidson.

Everyone regrouped at the top so we could split into 2 groups for the 50 mile and 32 mile rides.

I rolled out with the 50 mile group. Some of the roads I knew and some I didn't, but I made sure to keep them in sight until I could cover the gap. They were hitting hills a lot harder than my body was ready to handle.

But they would let everyone regroup once we hit the top.

By the time, I hit the 25 mile point; the sweat was rolling off me like I had just rode through a sprinkler. Good thing, I took 2 bottles of fluids. I needed both of them.

According to my Garmin, we rode about 50.25 miles in 2:38 which again according to my Garmin was 19.1 mph. This speed is probably a little soft since I don't always stop my Garmin when we roll slowly through an intersection or come to stop at an intersection.

I want to do at least one more of these rides before attempting my 100 mi. Century in July.

If you are looking for a great ride on the north side of Charlotte on a Saturday morning, check these guys out. They have a good ride with some nice hills but also some nice steady pace riding.

It is definitely worth the visit to Huntersville, NC.

 

Thoughts from the Cool Down Runner