Group Ride (What the F*ck is Going On!)

Today is Thursday September 25 2025 and last night i did the group ride.

It was very very hard.

This week i put some effort into showing up to this ride primed and ready to go and i think it worked because i felt good. Thank god i took that approach because a few guys decided to punch it from the very beginning and it was seemingly ludicrous speed for the entire time i managed to stay connected, which wasn't long. i got dropped earlier than normal but given how fast it was i think i did pretty good.

BK was there and about 10 minutes into the sprint fest he rolled by and said "What the f*ck is going on!". 

My sentiments exactly. i could see that a couple guys were constantly rolling to the front and ramping it up. Whenever the pace slowed they took over and started pushing hard again.. 

Honestly, it was a blast. Going fast (for a bit) while also being composed enough (for a bit) to see what the bunch was doing instead of just focusing on the wheel in front of me was exhilarating. Then the effort caught up to me and i found myself just focusing on the wheel in front of me.

Did i mention that i got dropped twice?

That's why there are two middle finger photos below. Each one was taken shortly after getting dropped. Although i think the ride time and average speed showing on the Garmin includes the 15 minute pedal from my house to the start, meaning the first time i got dropped was after about 13 minutes, ouch!  But i really do think that i found something to feel good about in those 13 minutes.

After getting dropped the second time i kept pushing. i was riding using the force (no heart rate monitor and my only power meter is the indoor trainer) and i think i did a good job of riding within myself. Plus i didn't have a negative attitude after getting dropped.  i chased for maybe 10 minutes and then saw BK headed back home so i turned around and we rode back together at a decent speed.

It was a great ride.

Did i mention that earlier in the day i dropped my Mountain Bike off at One Star Bicycles for a pre Little Sugar tune up? 18 days until that race.

Did i mention that last nights weather was absolutely perfect? Around 68 degrees when we finished.

Did i mention that the sun is setting much earlier but we finished the ride with the last bits of light in the sky? Sunset was around 7:13 but then you get that 30-45 minutes of lovely fading light.

Every once in a while everything clicks into place and with a superior attitude you can realize that despite getting dropped from the group ride after 13 minutes it was still an amazing night.