Monday, August 24, 2020

Going For A Group Ride


There's a first time for everything, and this was a fun endeavor for this first-timer.

I'm talking biking here, specifically group bike riding. Only this was more than just a group ride...there was food and drink, and plenty of door prizes. Several friends were in tow. And there were a whole lot of laughs along the way.

The date was Saturday, August 22nd and the event was the Bicycle Brew BBQ. Now in its fourth year, this event featured two options in distance along the Gay Lea Wilson Trail. The route started at the Brick House Fitness site (the host of the event) in Bondurant and rode to Des Moines (with a layover of sorts, at a golf club) and then back.

Don't worry, that's just the hubby's Team Butt Crack jersey (classy, huh!)

We'd had this ride on the calendar for over a month or so, and were looking forward to an afternoon of riding with some of our friends. The hubby has been on many rides before,  but this was my first-ever experience riding with more than a few people at a time.

Then, the (supposed/suspected) stress fracture entered my world. I won't go into a lot of details on this post, but suffice it to say it was a definite curve ball thrown in my direction at a rather inopportune time. 

The good news? The area in question (second metatarsal on my right foot, near the base of my first little toe) was in a fairly low-risk spot for feeling any impact or strain from pedaling. I taped the area securely (for compression), and cautiously kept the middle of my foot (instead of the "ball" of my foot) positioned over the pedal. I wore a good pair of supportive running shoes (because I don't do clip-ins LOL), which ensured limited (if any) movement.

So, how did that work for me? In a word...Perfection! There was absolutely no pain or strain in the affected area of my foot. The route was pretty flat, so there wasn't any hard pedaling. Also, I kept my bike in low gear, so there wasn't any unnecessary resistance. These were all tips and suggestions I'd gotten from fellow cyclists who had successfully biked while healing from similar stress fractures. 

Anyways, with a 12-noon send-off, we all met up around 11:15 for check-in. 

Amy, Mike, Todd, Stacy, the hubby and myself

With my favorite running buddy, Barb, and her daughter


Our packets included a "slap koozie," a lunch ticket (for the after-party), a drink ticket (for the layover break), a drink ticket (for the after party) and a raffle ticket (for a chance at the numerous giveaway items).

There were maybe 200 (?) registered participants, but I have no idea how many actually were there. They did allow some day-of registrations. There was COVID protocol in force, and all did a great job in keeping spaced from one another. 

The town's mural, just after the start of the trail

I was a bit concerned it would be crowded on the trail, but that was never the case. Similar to a runners'  road race, after the first 1/2 mile or so, everyone was spread out safely along the trail. 

Unlike a runners' road race, though, this was very non-competitive. Many riders were in groups, and would veer off the trail for a snack (or drink) break. 

We rode for about 15 miles, and made it to the turn-around spot (the golf club), and hung out for a good hour. I'm not sure the golfers were too appreciative of all the cyclists invading their patio, but we did keep things cool and quiet (well, somewhat LOL).


We'd had a little bit of a head wind on the ride out, so we were anticipating an even easier jaunt back to our starting place. The temps were warm (upper 80F's), but with the breeze it never felt uncomfortable. Although there was intermittent shade cover, we also had quite a bit of cloud cover as well.

A result of the recent derecho (August 10th), there downed trees and numerous branches, leaves and debris. Thankfully, there were many volunteers who did an excellent job in getting the trail cleared prior to the ride. 


Our total ride time was around 2 hours, 45 minutes. My bike computer showed just a hair under 30 total miles ridden for the day. 


And, the best part? Nothing felt any worse for the wear. In fact, I was overjoyed that I hadn't felt any discomfort the entire day. For the afternoon, I was able to forget about the stress fracture completely. 

We hung around for an hour or so, enjoyed some BBQ, live music and time with friends. We all agreed that this was a fun and well-organized event. With my sabbatical from all things weight-bearing (running/walking/elliptical/stair-climbing) for the next 5-6 weeks (at the minimum), I'm looking forward to doing more biking. If we can find more group rides, such as this, all the better.

Gustavas, I think I love you!

A few notes:

**Not all stress fractures are like mine; I got very lucky in that mine is located in relatively "low-maintenance" spot. 

**Even though my affected area feels alright for the time being, I am still playing it safe. In other words, there will not be long 30-mile rides, such as this, happening on the regular. I only took a chance on this ride because it was an out-and-back route, so I could turn around at any time if I needed to bail.

**Although I can ride my bike with said stress fracture, I have to do it carefully. No crazy hills or speeds, only easy gears, constant vigilance as to how my foot is on the pedal, etc.

So, that's my first group ride! I was pleasantly surprised to see how friendly fellow cyclists could be (after all, I'd heard many stories to the contrary). The non-competitive (and social) aspect of this ride was especially appealing. Like I said, I'm eager to do another!

Have you ever done a group ride similar to this? Would you consider doing one?

I'm linking this with Kim and Zenaida for the Tuesday Topics Link-Up


I'm also linking with Debbie, DeborahLisa, Laura and Jenn for the Runners' Roundup

Runners' Roundup


24 comments:

  1. That sounds really fun and glad you were able to look after the foot while enjoying some exercise and time outdoors.

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  2. Your husband's Team Butt Crack jersey had me cracked up! Hilarious!
    My husband has a cycling jersey that advertises toilets. It's just as classy.
    I would have loved to join you on the Bicycle Brew BBQ. I've never done anything like it. Mostly, we ride with two or three friends. But a larger group sounds nice.

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    1. Ha ha ha...these hubbies, I'm glad they keep it classy! If you ever make your way to the States, Iowa specifically, we gotta arrange a meet-up! I think we'd have a fun time ;-)

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  3. I'm so glad that Gustavas is there for you while you're recovering. I don't have a bike and have only ridden once in my adult life, but when I was a kid you couldn't keep me off of the bike.

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    1. Ironically, I had a bike as a kid (and teen), but don't recall riding them much. I'm sure I did, because that was our means of transportation during the summer, but other than riding back/forth to the pool, I'm not recalling much LOL But, YES, I am so glad I have biking for now...not being able to bear (much) weight on my foot for the next several weeks felt like a death sentence.

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  4. That's so awesome that you were able to enjoy this ride! How fortuitous that you've been getting into biking the last few years, right?

    I am not a biking girl. I like getting around by my own two feet -- or a car, LOL! I do enjoy my stationary bike though. I can't fall off of that. :)

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    1. Well, I'm not usually too fearful of falling or crashing (because I don't wear the clip-in shoes), but I'm a little more aware of it now. A weird fall and/or landing on the compromised foot would not be good.

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  5. I love that you and your hubby go bike riding together! I hate that you're dealing with a stress fracture but happy that you can still use cycling as a form of exercise.

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    1. Well, fingers crossed it isn't a true stress fracture. I'll have more definitive info next week after I see the podiatrist...but I'm treating it as a stress fracture for now.

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  6. OMG, your husband's jersey!! This sounds like an awesome social event. Cyclists do look like jerks often times when you pass them on a run, so I try to make an effort to wave at all runners on the trail :) I'm glad you had so much fun!

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    1. I do believe a ride such as this probably doesn't attract the real competitive cyclists, but still. I was happy to be among such friendly, fun-loving people!

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  7. Aahhh, I love this! Firstly, so glad you got to do it comfortably with the stress fracture. But I also like that it was a new experience for you and that Covid protocols were carefully observed. I've noticed a huge difference between road cyclists and those who do trails. The road cyclists are usually very rude and just stressed out (at least here and in my experience!) and those who do trails/MTB are far more relaxed and friendly.

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    1. I could be guilty of stereotyping, but I agree that a lot of road cyclists have an attitude...like they're too good for the trails LOL Also, they are really serious about their sport (and competitive) and seem to treat every ride as a "race." The trail ride was SO fun, and not the least bit stressful, especially since I was not in any condition to push my pace or exert myself.

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  8. Sounds like fun to do a group ride! I'm glad you can still bike with your injury.

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    1. This ride totally made my day! After the previous couple days (stress fracture diagnosis, etc.) this was just what I needed.

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  9. I'm sorry to hear about your stress fracture! I hope you heal up well. At least you can still cycle - and that the weather is conducive for cycling!

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    1. The heat (in recent days) is very conducive for cycling, and I'm SO thankful that I'm not restricted to sitting and waiting for everything to heal with ZERO mobility on my part LOL

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  10. We usually have a few of these types of events every summer but everything is canceled this year. Group rides are always tons of fun and the energy is always upbeat. Glad you had a chance to experience it

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    1. There have been a lot of other rides cancelled around here as well (I was looking for another to do LOL). This would be a fun thing to do for a blogger meet-up...?

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  11. Yikes! So sorry to hear about a (suspected) stress fracture! So glad it didn't impact your ride, which sounds awesome! I have never done a ride like this before. In fact, I don't even have a road bike (just a mountain bike). Riding on a bike trail sounds safe and fun. The food, friends, and drinks are appealing too!

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  12. OMG, Pat's jersey is hilarious! Group rides are fun, aren't they? Honestly, I was shocked at how much fun. I'm so happy that cycling isn't causing any pain or issues with your foot.

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  13. This seems really incredible. I'm so glad that you can cycle, even with the stress fracture, and so happy you got to be a part of this!

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  14. I am glad it worked out and nothing affected your ride. It looked like a fun day for you!!

    Thank you for linking up with us!

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