About 2 weeks after my accident I did a 45 mile ride and it went well. No pain in the shoulder. We gathered in Germantown where I live. The group that organized the ride is Potomac Pedalers. There were about 30 people that showed up. It was a beautiful clear, warm late December day. I brought my nice racing road bike: no fenders or rack. I wear a fanny pack for the extras. I had an extra windbreaker jacket in the pack. It turned out a lot chillier than I expected that morning. The daytime highs were approaching 70, but early in the morning it was quite nippy. I really didn't know what to expect. I'd been off the bike completely for 2 weeks. Prior to that I hadn't ridden a lot because of my busy schedule. Would I even be able to complete the 45 miles? The pace was to be A to BB which is 16-20mph. That would be easy 2 weeks ago. How hilly would it be? I knew we were in the vicinity of Sugarloaf mountain and near Frederick, MD. That could be pretty challenging. Everyone had the really fancy expensive bikes and high tech clothing.

It's always fun on these group rides to see the bikes and special gear. Someone asked about my generator light and they thought it was cool, so I was among tech junkies. I belonged.

The ride started at a very easy pace and I saved my energy. I had gotten a cue sheet cause I didn't know this ride at all. When I realized the pace was too fast I knew I shouldn't be in the lead group so I dropped back a little. Then about 15 miles out I dropped the cue sheet and someone pointed it out. So I went and picked it up. NO MERCY! The group was GONE! I found my place on the cue sheet and proceeded, seeing them always cresting the next hill ahead of me. I got to a point where I wasn't sure the direction and had someone standing nearby point the way. Then I thought I'd made a wrong turn later on and a guy on a fixxie straightened me out. I was further behind. The fixxie friend rode with me till we reached the rest stop/turnaround at a little mom n pop convenience store.

It was still quite chilly, but I was very warm with my multiple layers. I was almost too warm but when I unzipped the jacket my injured shoulder tensed up. So I decided to continue on with the jacket on and zipped up. If my shoulder had been okay I would have put the jacket away. Imagine that in late December!

For the return ride I was back with the group. There were about 6 of us. We were moving along at a comfortable pace. As time went on and we would approach minor hills I found myself in the back of the group. I didn't want to push myself too hard but I just didn't have it in me. The two weeks away had sapped my stamina. My legs felt good, my cardio was good, but I was petering out on energy. I also hadn't had any breakfast.

It was a beautiful route and the day was bright and sunny. If this had been mid-summer there were plenty of shady areas to find relief from the heat. I can't wait for this ride in the summer. As it was, about 5 miles from the end, I bonked. My legs gave out. I had a minor spasm in my thigh. I was wasted. It could have been the "no breakfast" mistake or the two weeks off. I did well to finish, but I was well behind the pace of the other riders in my group.