2 days of cycling
New saddle
=sore ass
So Saturday was the PTC ride, we started at Sierra Madre and headed out toward San Dimas. While on our ride we did some pace group work, broke off into groups of about 6 or 7 and practiced being in 2 lines and constantly rotating. It was cool, but we were sort of questioning whether or not it was worth it since we can’t draft in triathlons…Once we were done with the pace groups we headed down to Arrow Highway and sort of merged with this other group of riders and we became a cycling pack of probably 200 riders! It was crazy and we took up a whole lane.
Our pace group
You can sort of see the group, but there were WAY more
Eventually, George and I lost the group on this long stretch of road…actually…I lost them…George stayed with me because he is so kind… We figured we were at the point where we planned our own ride. So we turned around just before we hit the 57 and headed back. We rode 36 miles, which is the longest I have ridden so far. By the end of the ride my legs were pooped and it was time for some pizza!
Then on Sunday, I guess we figured we hadn’t had enough so we went on another ride. The thing about Saturday’s ride was it was relatively flat and we wanted to get some hill work in…so we did…and it was painful and included an asthma attack about 50 feet from the top.
Here is the graph:
Little bit of an 8% grade there…that one hurt a little…
Here I am at the top, you can see the road behind me that we just climbed…and then it just drops off….
This was the view from the top of the hill, that is Glendale down in the valley and that is Downtown L.A. off in the distance. We had a really nice weekend out here, during the ride it was in the 80′s, so a little warm for the season…but made it very pleasant to stop at Dolci Mango to have some frozen yogurt! YUM!
I also got a new saddle, here it is:
My old one came with my bike and was not designed for women, this one is. It specifically is designed to a woman’s body and should help for those long rides. Still getting used to it but I think it will work out nicely once I get my bike fit.
We concluded the weekend with some more pizza (I really love pizza) at this new (new to us) place that was featured on the Travel Channel and is in Studio City. It is called Caioti Pizza Cafe and the best part about them is that they don’t have a corkage fee, so…we brought our own wine 
So, a good weekend for cycling. I am planning to hit the gym this week for some running just to change it up a bit.
Ugh…it’s Monday.
Posted by Borsch119 on January 13, 2009 at 2:46 am
Enjoy the new saddle! I got fit for a saddle in March when I bought my bike, best decision ever! The one that comes stock was too narrow for my sit bones, I was in pain until the new one came in and the LBS swapped it out.
Posted by bilko on January 13, 2009 at 4:04 am
Don’t use your thumb (as the seat looks like it hung on the wall and the only way you would judge it’s performance is by touching it) as a judge of a seat.
When you get your bike fit – that’s a great time to see about a new saddle (unless your LBS [local bike shop] will trade for a diff one in few days after install). A local shop here has a spin bike set up with a quick change seat post — all models of saddles can be changed out in 15 seconds to test saddles…
Good luck.
Posted by kshadburn on January 13, 2009 at 6:44 am
Oh, don’t worry…I had the guy that is going to give me the bike fit help me with the saddle and I should be getting the fit either end of this week or the next. So I definitely took all that into consideration to make sure I picked the right one.
I also made sure to get the womens designed saddle as my “hot spot” is very specific.
My ass hurts because I am starting to do these longer rides and I am just not used to the time in the saddle.
Thanks for the advice though! So much to learn….
Posted by bilko on January 13, 2009 at 4:06 am
oh yeah… drafting is good for group rides… which you may find really helpful in your training schedule — even though it is not a skill needed in competition. Who knows, maybe you’ll even do a few cycling events — look what happened to Lance Armstrong?!”
Posted by Silly People « Endurance Turtle on April 14, 2009 at 4:54 pm
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