Ann and I went out on Saturday for her inaugural ride. We went from Tuscany out to Cochrane and down the Cochrane hill (which was a whole new way to experience that hill) through town and up to Old Banff Coach Road. We figured out our desired pace for Austin and both screamed when a plane flew right over us to land. Then we went for coffee. It was a very girly ride.
Sunday was a whole other story. It was me and 7 guys. Now, normally I'm all about those type of odds but at 120km and a whole lot o' hills it grew tiresome quickly. The Peloton Master took good care of me and held my own up most of the hills, but really, it would have been a whole lot easier to just drop the matching CTAPP bike shorts and just see who's the largest. Otherwise it was a absolutely perfect day to ride. The temperature was perfect, crisp off the start warm and sunny throughout. As we came out of Bottrell the wind blew the leaves over the cyclists and wow, that image will live with me for a while.
The new 'machine' makes an amazing difference. A few more 100 km rides and I should be in good shape. Switching bikes with just days to go before we leave was a risky decision, but staying with a Trek I think made a difference. And riding carbon vs. steel almost 1000km will make me (and my legs much happier) We do need to go in for a bike fit asap. I measured what I could and put it together all by myself (and didn't kill myself riding it, clearly I've learned something along the way) But there is only so much one can do with a tape measure and a level, lets just say me and my undercarriage are no longer on speaking terms.
Today is 15 days until we leave. I'm nervous about sustaining the pace without the help of the peloton. I'm bewildered that a year has gone by so quickly. I can't believe just how much this has already changed my life. I can't wait to see what those 8 days (and nights) will mean.
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