“A winning effort begins with preparation” - Joe Gibbs

I was not setting myself up to win on Sunday when I failed to prepare in advance for my ride. I had only given myself half an hour to get myself, my bike and my gear ready. By the time I realized my Global Ride gear wasn’t clean it was too late; I’d have to stop by the club to get a new jersey and shorts. In addition to my cycling clothes not being in order, I had forgotten my riding tights, glasses, full fingered gloves, and my IPOD wasn’t charged!

Regardless of my poor planning and typical Pittsburgh spring weather (cold, dreary, windy, etc), once I got warmed up it felt great to be on the bike. I did 3 laps on river road which amounted to 48 miles – not bad since it was the first week back following my recovery from overtraining. The sun even graced us with its presence a few times! We rode again as a team in pace line formation, each taking our turn pulling at the front. We even did a little filming of our training so we could share the experience with you; click here to see the footage.

I am also happy to report that my new Terry Carbon Saddle made a huge impact in my comfort level on the bike! It was definitely worth spending the money to get a woman specific saddle. Now just to invest in some cold weather gear!