Bike group leaders dictionary

They lie to us practically every time we go for our training rides. Sure, they post the route online ahead of the time. Sure, a smart person (that would not be me) would check it to know what to expect. Nope, I rely on what they tell me, straight to my face with phony sincerity in their eyes, smiling their evil smiles because they know that what they say is something quite different from what they mean. But I am onto them. By now I have learned how to translate what they say:

Flat means rolling

Rolling means hills, some quite steep

Hills means mountains

And of course every time they say that this was the toughest ride of the training cycle, they lie. Every week they make us suffer more and more. Every ride is longer and there is more elevation gain. The funniest thing is, they think I believe them when they say that the actual Challenge ride is going to be easier than our training rides. Right!  

Our Saturday started an hour earlier than usual, 7am, since this was going to be a long ride. For a moment there was hope we would skip that ride altogether since somebody noticed there was a pancake place right accross the parking lot and that maybe we would have more fun just parking there. Trust me that even I, a paleo diet (read no grains) girl, was tempted. But nope, instead of nice warm pancakes and coffee, off we went into the cold, cold morning for a 70 mile ride with climbing. With lots of climbing. With nasty climbing where the steepest parts of the mountain are just when you are about to give up, by the top. For goodness sake, doesn't anyone care about our burning quads? I guess not. 

And then there were those places where, they told us, somebody flew off the road on the way down, broke her neck and other bones in her body. Apparently she did not remember anything of the accident and is biking again. I can't tell you much more about this - I tried not to listen too carefully since I am not that fond of going down either. Yeah, I guess I like my rides flat, and I mean flat the way Webster Dictionary means it. 

I have said it before and I will say it again. There is no way I could do this ride without the group's support. We tend to spread pretty wide going up but I still feel other ladies' energy and that makes it easier to just keep on going and somehow this energy allows me to get to the top. 

The ride must have traumatized me because it is a blur, so I can't really tell you about it much more about it. I only know that I survived, came back home happy for some strange reason and that I was not sore at all the following day. Just please, don't tell the group leaders or they will make me work even harder next Saturday. And you know what I am actually looking forward to it. 

Somehow those palm trees don't fit here.
I would rather see sequoias.

Now Sunday was a lot more relaxing. I got to meet some of my real and some virtual John Muir Trail hiking buddies at John Muir Trail house in Martinez. What a beautiful place it must have been in his days. Now, there is a major highway right next to the property on one side, power lines on the other, and a view of a gas station with a convenience store from the hill where the house is located. Still we had a very good time walking around and chatting but maybe next time we'll just go on a hike together. 

I think these below were almond trees.
John Muir made tons of money off his orchard.

John Muir was a messy kind of a guy, we were told.
I like him even more. :)

And last but not least, I went through my training at the center for the blind, passed it, and finally was allowed to make contact with the blind lady I will be helping. We chatted on the phone for quite some time. I already like her. She seems full of enthusiasm, ready to get fit and what's more, she loved my ideas for things we could be doing to help her achieve her goals. Our first field trip will be a walk to the YMCA. Can't wait!