In preparation for the ride I decided it was time to finally change my rear tire. Of the two wear indicators on the tire, only the very bottom of one of them was still present [See photo on Left]. These tires have been great: ~2,000 miles over all road terrain and no flats. So I bought another of the same tire (Continental Grand Prix 4000 s) to replace the rear and have had it for the last 8 weeks trying to decide when to replace it - how little tread left is enough: yesterday was the day. The rear tire wears faster than the front, so I moved the front to the rear and the new one I put on the front. (For safety reasons you want good rubber up front.) That involved changing both tires. You can see from the photos how much rubber is missing from the rear tire that has worn flat in the middle.
The flat: That evening on the way to the meeting place I had a flat: just after the 40+ mph downhill. It was the new tire that I put on first and I'm sure I must have twisted or pinched the tube because it blew when I hit a hard bump in the road. I'm very thankful it didn't blow going down the hill or later in a pack of 20 riders going 22 mph over the bridge! It was good practice to change the flat roadside (I carry a spare tube, pump and tools). I also had enough flex time in the schedule to still get to the ride starting point by 6 PM.The ride: I was surprised that there were so many riders there and not the casual looking riders, but those that looked more serious. I didn't count, but there must have been 20+ riders. We all took off together and took the right lane on the two lane road (each direction). After a few minutes the speed was in the low 20's and stayed there until the first hill, which is where I'll usually back down a little and just go up it slowly to moderately - but this group 'pushed' up the hill. I had to work to keep from getting dropped. This was ~15 minutes in and I was at the rear as I had recently finished a turn at the front pulling at 23 and was still recovering from that. The other guy that was beside me pulling too was dropped at this point. The next few miles were rolling hills and paces up to the high 20's when again I had to work hard to not get dropped - four or five more riders were dropped here. Then it was up Texas Plume and again not at a leisurely pace and no rest at the top, but rather back down Lake Ridge Drive and do it again.
By this time the group had spread way out. There was a group of 5 cyclists in front of me that I would occasionally catch sight of. I saw that they didn't do the hill a third time (I was relieved) so I continued to give chase, but eventually I lost sight of them so I continued on the path I thought they had taken - heading back. But that wasn't the case. They must have turned up another road to do other hills and I got off the path. So, I didn't ride the whole ride with the group. My ride was 36.7 miles, but only 22 miles of that was on the route. If it works out I'd like to ride with them again next Tuesday.Final thoughts: One of the good things was it was another MHR day: I saw 185 on the HRM. Most of my time when with the group was in the 170's and then trying to recover in the mid 160's. So, it was nice to train that hard. Hill repeats is a great way to improve your performance. I will have to add more of that on my own too. The avg speed when with the group was over 20 mph. It was challenging to ride with so many riders that are stronger and faster than me - no rest for the weary. I had to do my best to recover at a higher HR. It was a Great training time. When I got home I was glad it was cut short as I was spent. The question is : do I really want to work that hard? And if yes, why?
[Photo above: breakfast (Oatmeal, millet, flaxseed, olive oil, maple surup, blue berries and soy milk.]
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