Monday, January 31, 2022

Where I Find Myself


Today: I find myself, as I try to regain past speed and fitness, in a group unlike any other I have been in since 83 here in SA. The Street Ratz of SA are welcoming slow and fast and do short rides and long rides welcome svelte people and welcome big people. It feels really good to know "Once a Rat always a Rat!" One can come and go without issues. 

 I can only manage 13 mph on average speed these days at my very best effort and the Street Ratz do anything from 10 mph to 14 mph. Cyclones has a C group that goes as low as 14 mph. I was going to stop riding with groups until I found Las Ratas as I call them, but they were so friendly and welcoming I had to persist. I know I'm a social rider, I can do long solo rides, but I have to be able to look forward to a group ride on Saturdays. The Pandemic and its variants have made this difficult as well, but we pretty well know through Science that droplets lose their umph when outside and we only need to mask up when we're in closer contact than what we do in cycling. Belonging is also critical; it goes to identity and the larger context of life.  

Action Bikes Sunday 7 am ride from Bike World AH is also accepting and attainable if you're riding at slow speeds! The group and Howard the manager/owner at Action Bikes makes sure slow riders stay in contact on a set course. This group does a 100 miler most Sundays by starting at the buttcrack of dawn and going until they knockout 100 to 130 miles at a time with various stops to regroup. The 7 am portion of the ride is a slow piece the other times from Four to Six are faster paced and the portion from 9 to the end are faster paced as well covering a good portion of San Antonio in the process!

I can see myself graduating to the cyclones slow group someday. I can also see myself leading a slow group as part of one of the other groups. I have lots of experience and people say I don't show that I'm struggling to maintain speed or stay connected to the group. 

I have had lots of invitations of late to join their groups TEAM TACO ('22), MTCCSA ('21), CYCLONES ('20), CYCLE LOGIC ('19), but I know I can't keep up and I like to hold my own! 

It hurts my independent streak when someone pushes me from behind (actually pushes me hand on my back and such)! Plus, groups with sags, they would prefer you to take the sag than to have you try to finish on your own! Cycle Logic was my team for whom I raced, but nowadays the slow guys are fast and us used to be fast guys can't keep up and that makes the rides difficult because we lose contact and regrouping is a challenge. When I ride with them, I know I'm keeping the fast guys back and that hurts too! 

I have a long way to go to get back to where I was, my weight-loss journey is on hold (see below in the postscript), but I know a lot and can help with no drop rides for groups that are looking for a 'D' group.  


PS (Currently our family is in the midst of a slow move, meaning we need to vacate soon, but not until we're in a place where we can move in to knowing we're in a place that will keep us comfortable for the long run! While packing is still going on and have yet to pack the bike room and biggest factor is my weight-loss achieved by the fall of 2021 has all but disappeared. Finding a balance between carbs and no carbs to fuel my rides has proved to be more difficult than I can fathom. I know I can't do it in a ketogenic state. Those of you who are achieving great success with Keto and going sugar-less power to you! I will have to revisit this at a later date! Perhaps doing more through walking, running, and swimming is the solution for me. Currently, the move has given me enough to handle and think about without worrying about every little thing I eat!)

No comments: