Positive Benefits in Joining a Cycling Club

We have been fortunate to have awesome warm weather this week!! And, with the change over to daylight savings time, we've had more opportunity to get out on the road too!

On Sunday, we got together with other club members from the Thread City Cyclers and it was an enjoyable ride to Coriander Cafe & Country Store in Eastford, Connecticut. Although one member experienced two flats, it was otherwise smooth going!

We also ran into another group of cyclists from our club at Coriander -- including John and Beth -- who also sometimes ride on a tandem!!

Later that evening the kickoff meeting for the Thread City Cyclers at a local firehouse took place. Not only did they serve the best homemade ice cream ever from the UConn Dairy Bar, it was a great time to mingle with other riders and learn about upcoming plans and cycling events.

Dave and I are planning to include many of these rides on our calendar for the season. Part of the meeting's agenda included introductions of new members and each member was given an opportunity to share some of their goals for the year. Mine are to increase the duration  (mileage) of many of our rides for greater comfort and to improve my overall fitness level. As David becomes more involved with bicycle racing, he may want to get in a few extra miles on his own where he can hammer. I need to become more accustomed to riding on my own at times.

The club is always open to new members, and one thing I can say that is especially great about the Thread City Cyclers is that they offer group rides for cyclists at all levels. For newbies, there is a weekly beginner ride led by Scott of Scott's Cyclery. The club is very social, the members are extremely supportive when it comes to sharing information and helping new riders to improve their skills. Being involved has most certainly enriched our lives with great friends!

For more information about the Thread City Cyclers, check out the About Us page on their website.

Is it Really November??

Hard to believe it's actually November! I'm loving this Indian summer weather.

Dave & I rode with groups both yesterday and today, and we've logged in 101 miles over the two days! Wow. In looking over our stats (We keep track of these things on DailyMile.com. Please friend us if you use the site too!) we did only 23 miles for the month of November a year ago. For this month alone, we are now at 254 miles.

Saturday's ride was an end-of-season Thread City Cyclists ride. Our group was comprised of riders at varying ability levels and we broke off into two smaller groups. This ride turned out to be a spontaneous route put together on the fly to Coriander Cafe & Country Store in Eastford, Connecticut. We like that rest stop. Their rest room is clean, the staff is pleasant, they sell unique country craft items, and they whip up super-delicious food choices!!

We did try something different this time. It was lunchtime. So I ordered a lunch item. The tuna on whole wheat sandwich with lettuce, purple onion, and tomato, was thick, fresh and tasty! At $6, Dave and I split it, the chips and a pickle. For me, it was great. For Dave... well, he confessed to having an urge to vomit as we pushed up hills on the return ride. I guess a huge lump of tuna and mayo might not have been the best option for him.

We did 43 miles, hills and flat sections, it was sunny and with the wind a little bit chilly, but not too bad, temperatures in the mid-50's.

Today we did 58 miles. This ride was called the Tree Farm Road Ride, departing from Manchester, Connecticut, entering into Massachusetts, and back. There were 10 bicycles, 11 riders. We were the only tandem -- as it was yesterday too. 

This ride was slated to be 17-19 MPH Average Speed. We rode with this group last week, and we did great. However, we weren't so sure we could keep up at the pace posted this week. I emailed the ride leader, and she assured us that based on our ride of the previous week, we would do fine.

We did do fine, but honestly, this was 58 miles of us pushing really hard, all the way! I'm not complaining. Today's weather was in the 60's with sunshine. And this ride pushed us both to ride harder and faster. My heart rate was steadily in a higher range. Plus, I'm really hoping that it will nudge my weight loss plateau to budge too.