It was bloody cold.  We got up pretty early this morning to go out on our first “official” ride with a training group.  It was gloomy most of the early morning.  The sun peeked out for a second, but it disappeared pretty quickly.

We headed off to Griffith Park to meet up with the Chain Gang, one of the training groups for the AIDS/LifeCycle.  When I did the AIDS/LifeCycle in 2003, I mostly trained with the Chain Gang.  Without them, I seriously would not have been ready to do that ride.  They are the nicest group of people with the biggest hearts and always welcome new riders (new or experienced) with a smile.  It helped that there was a group of other novice riders that started with me and we bonded pretty quickly.  Jim, one of the awesome training ride leaders, called us the “ducklings” because, in almost all respects, we would follow the directions and advice of the training ride leaders.  I also suspect that we were called the “ducklings” because, when we’re out riding, we would follow the training ride leader in one single file line.  QUACK!  QUACK!  So it was a nice homecoming for me to do my first official training ride of the season with the Chain Gang.

The morning got off to a confusing start.  We went to the meeting spot, the giant fountain at the William Mulholland Memorial Park, but there were no riders in sight.  We got there a little late so I was worried that they left without us.  But after a couple minutes, I saw a biker coming our way and it was a familiar face: Tony.  Tony is one of the all-time nicest training ride leaders and always rides “caboose” so he can help and cheer on the slowest rider in the pack.  I screamed like a little girl when I saw Tony.  Naturally, he did the same.  It turned out that due to the construction on the road, the group decided to meet across the street instead.

There were 10 of us on this training ride.  The training ride leaders, which included Tony, Uncle Mel, Randy and Doreen, gave the safety speech (we take safety VERY seriously!) and we were off.  We got on the bike bath that runs parallel to the 5 freeway and the Los Angeles River.  I saw some ducks down on the river, which reminded me of the “ducklings.”  That was cool.  The bike path is a nice place to ride since it’s smooth and flat.  And there are no cars and intersections, so you can pretty much go for a few miles without needing to stop.  We eventually got off the bike path and back on the main road that circles Griffith Park just north of the Autry National Center.  The rest of the way was similar to the ride that Sam and I did a couple of weeks ago.  We headed north past Forest Lawn Cemetery and into Burbank.  We circled around the Warner Brothers studio and made our way back by the Equestrian Center in Burbank.  I saw a few people riding horses, so that was fun.  Finally, we got back into the Griffith Park area and returned to our meeting spot.  Sam and I even rode down the road a bit further and back just to add more mileage.  No mud puddles this time.  Altogether, we rode 16.7 miles today.

There was an option to head back out to do another loop so we can double the miles, but I opted not to because I was aching all over my body.  Let’s see:  my neck was tight, my collarbone and shoulder area was incredibly sore, my elbows were stiff, my butt was not a happy camper (I need a new bike seat), the side of my left leg from my butt down to my calf hurt, and my left calf was on the verge of cramping.  When I bought my bike from I.Martin, they wanted me to go out and ride it a few times to really test it out before they made final adjustments to the bike’s measurements.  When doing a long distance bike ride like this, a millimeter off here and there can make a humungous difference, so it is important to get the bike fitted exactly to your body.  Having now gone out on two rides, I know for sure that the bike needs to be adjusted.  It could be as simple as moving the seat down a tiny bit or moving the handlebar closer to you.  I.Martin will do a basic complimentary adjustment that comes with the new bike.  But for a more detailed, comprehensive fitting it will cost money and can be quite expensive.  Tony told me that he did five AIDS/LifeCycle rides before he decided to pay money for a professional fitting.  Before he did the fitting, he had similar pain and soreness around the neck and shoulder area, but after he did the professional fitting he was pain-free.  Both Tony and Doreen recommended this professional bike-fitting guy at Helen’s Cycles.  Tony said it can cost $100-$200 or more, but that it is worth the money, especially if you’re already having some pain.  That is a lot of money to spend, but I will need to give this some serious consideration if I continue to have pain.

This ride is dedicated to these awesome sponsors: Bonnie T., Greg S., Nat S. & Nick S.; Hayden L.; Jane S. & Georgie; Jean H.; Julie S. & Hernán V.; Justin M., Vanessa L., Garrison M. & Penelope M.; Mark Y., Bich Ngoc D., Daisy & Mr. Fox; Ryan C.; Shinae Y.; and Tracey Q.