A couple of women I ride with decided not to participate in Opening Day at the Races, which is the first Tuesday after the time change in which there is enough daylight after work to ride; thus the volume of cyclists on the roads at one time is at its peak. Rumor has it that the ride is a bit squirrely due to unregulated testosterone. And lo and behold, a crash occurred at the beginning of the ride.

I can't keep up with the A group anyway, a Cat 5 male gives me a run for my money; and the leaders of this group are Cat 1 and 2. But it's fun to see how long I can hang with them until I blow to pieces. This year I hope for another few miles before my butt gets kicked.

So, I rode with two girls, and we practiced climbing steep hills and other above-lactate-threshold activities such as sprinting and climbing less steep hills in a fatter gear. I believe that the speedwork from running is benefitting my strength in cycling, particularly the climbing of hills.

I had a flat due to a piece of glass; we girls were fumbling around with the tube and the tire, but a really nice guy who works at the bike shop I spin at stopped to finish up the task at lightening speed. I've never had to change a tire on my own since all the guys who ride are so nice, but this will one day come back to haunt me if I flat while riding alone. Rule of thumb for me, though, is that I carry my cell phone with me, and I chose a small 3 oz phone for that very reason.