What SEL's odometer saw today

Instead of this morning's regularly scheduled GTS (group training session) in Central Park, I challenged myself by joining a group of more advanced riders and headed up to Nyack, NY. To say that my bike odometer saw unfamiliar digits would be an understatement.


It was 30 miles up and 30 miles back. The longest miles were 32-42; the beginning of the trip home from Piermont, NY to Fort Lee, NJ. The hills that we whizzed down on the way TO Nyack were not quite as simple on the way back. My odometer measures speed as well. The same hill that I flew down at 35 mph on the way out measured 3 mph on the way home! And at that point, I just wanted to give up. But as I was trekking along, Ken, a 58 year-old father of a teenage leukemia survivor, pulled up next to me and said, "this is SO much worse than anything we'll face on race day!" And that was all the encouragement I needed to finish the second hill, face the third hill and then coast back home. And along the way, I found two favorite cycling hangouts: The Runcible Spoon and Strictly Bicycles. Both have great snacks and more importantly, lovely bathrooms!