Rooster Tails, Tire Blow Out, "Cramps" and Road Debris

Saturday 31st January

Saturdays Ride was the " 4 Park Combo" and provided us with some welcome training mates. Louis, brought Justin & Shelden to form their own unique version of the "Three Trini-in-teers" ensuring that Trinidad is well represented in the training series and the BHPB bike team. Considering the weather in Port of Spain rarely drops below 80 Degrees Justin & Sheldon were quite surprised that it took so long for the feeling to come back to their fingers and toes.
On the subject of weather the chilly morning was also commented on by two other team mates, Suzanne and Kelly who happen to deal with the weather professionally on a daily basis, and were much more prepared than the rest of us.
All the riders appeared to have fun and it was wonderful to get a good number (7) out for the training session. I know they will appreciate their hard work on "Ride Day"
Talking about Hard Work! Sunday was a Challenge.

Sunday 1st February
Sundays ride was called "Bike the Rescue" which helps towards Houston Animal shelters.
Dave Hill and I were joined on Sunday by one of our new training buddies from Saturday "Suzanne" who reminded us that wearing heels after a training session to go the theater was a BAD!!! IDEA Thank Goodness for Intermissions!!!

Dave and I were opting for the longest of the rides offered (64 Miles) so we started in a different group than Suzanne. We started at a blistering pace and led the way for 8 miles or so, getting into a good rhythm with a Pace line that clearly wanted to get home for breakfast.

The overnight rain made visibility poor with us all sporting muddy "Rooster Tails" off our back wheels, which was delightful especially cycling over the "Road Kill".

Riding in a fast group is exhilarating and fun but focus is paramount, especially when you blow out your front tire at the front of the group travelling 22 mph. Emergency Maneuvers are normally required, as was the case this morning.
After a quick tire change we hit the road again in earnest only to encounter some strong winds and possibly some of worst roads in Texas with respect to roadside debris.
Once we hit the 45 Mile marker we missed a crucial rest stop due to some "Poor Sign Management by the Ride" Organisers". It was a rest stop that I needed to fill up with water! Alas! I was now running on empty and the inevitable happened. (No Fluid intake = Good Chance of Cramping)
"An intense, involuntary contraction of a muscle"
For those of you who have not yet experienced the pain of cramping when cycling its not much fun. (See Web Site and Blog Index for Cramp mitigation measures)
Dave was a fantastic team mate and as we pushed on with many short stretching stops to finish with a respectable 18. 4 mph average for the 64 mile course.