Cyclists in Training

We've done all of our training thus far in the state of Arizona.  Luckily, Arizona has a varied landscape- full of hills and mountains when climbing exercises are in order, long-running flat lands for distance training, and plenty of busy traffic (I don't know that the cars are necessarily that helpful, but they're certainly out here).  Arizona is also a glorious state in which to train because it seems to be quite warmer than others in the U.S.

Our first big ride of the year was the Casa Grande Century on January 6 (why do they hold this annual event on January 6?  "because we can" I believe is what the brochure said).  We did the 34 mile ride- not quite the full century then I suppose- but the organizers still deemed us worthy of a very classy pair of neon pink cycling socks adorned with a scorpion emblem and neon green flames at the toes.  We felt like such champions for finishing this ride and got a taste of the adrenaline that courses through you when you get to take part in an organized cycling event.

We next traveled the San Juan Road in South Mountain and the Usery Mountain Pass toward the middle of the month to hone our hills skills (I'll note here that if you've not gotten to experience what a Liz temper tantrum might be like, that you should probably accompany us on one of these rides up a large hillside).  

This past Saturday, February 9, we rode with GABA (I don't exactly know what this acronym stands for, but I assume it's some sort of 'bicycle association') on a route they call the "Ahwa-Footy" which goes through the Ahwahtukee Foothills.  This ended up being a 37 mile stretch for Dave and I due to our inabilities to 1) keep up with folks who seem to be able to hold a 20 mph pace and have the route memorized, and 2) read maps properly- especially when they're trying to direct you through suburbs full of cul-de-sacs and like-named side streets.  We are really amazed and motivated by the endurance of this group of cyclists and plan to join them for more of their Saturday morning rides.  We also love that the group is so big that they tend to take up entire lanes of roadways.  The mass looks cool and acts as a car repellent.

This Sunday, our friend and fellow Calvin College alum, Kyle Wigboldy, will be taking us past our 40 mile mark and training up our still-young cycling skills.  I'll post more about this ride after we're done it.