I woke up and turned off my alarm, only to wake up again at 8:05 and realize I was late for the group ride. Luckily, it meets at the Java Shack, just a few blocks from the apartment, so I was able to throw my stuff in a bag and run over. I was supposed to meet Bill Cusmano at 8a, with the ride leaving around 8:30. I made it in plenty of time and we got the bike setup.

The bike was a 52cm Douglas of Scandium Aluminum. We raised the seatpost and put on my pedals. I rode down the road a bit to make sure all was well. The bike was outfitted with Campy Record and the whole thing was light as a feather. Definitely the fastest machine I've rode since the Waterford TT bike. Needless to say, this one fit a lot better.

We headed out down Wilson and across Key Bridge. The plan was for me to tail off the ride early and return in time for Church. Joe Metro was supposed to lead me home. But after probably ten miles or so, Bill saw me and asked why I was still with the group. Joe had already made the turn for home and since I was riding up front, he'd left me behind. I phoned Jess and told her I'd have to keep riding since I didn't know my way home.

After a while in Rock Creek Park on Beach Drive, we started climbing some small hills and the pace started to pick up a bit. I didn't feel like my legs were that strong today early on. I was sluggish going up the hills and having trouble with the idexing of the rear derailleur didn't help. But I got my legs under me after a few of the ups and downs.

We made the descent into Great Falls and then climbed back out and that was a good test of how I could climb on the bike. I still didn't feel all that comfortable, but I did ok. We rode a nice paceline the rest of the way, returning to DC on MacArthur Boulevard. It's a shame I didn't have a cyclocomputer, I would have liked to know the stats.

Bill loned me some Accelerade since in my rush to get to the ride, I'd left behind all of my water. I guzzled some of that pretty fast. Riding up the hill back to Courthouse wasn't as bad as I've always imagined it would be. I guess that's the benefit of a nice bike.

It was just past noon when we finished and we sat around chatting at the Java Shack. I had some hot chocolate and was happy to be resting my legs some. I jogged home and cooked some pasta to refuel.

Today was a great learning experience. I got the feel of what it's like to ride in the drops, in a paceline, and what this road thing is like. It was a blast. I suck at cornering and I've got a long way to go before I'm comfortable in the drops, but I'm well on my way. It's nice to have the focus more on fitness, but boy is this going to hurt when things get really cranked up. All told, the ride was supposed to be about 50 miles. That doubles my ride to work and nearly doubles my longest ride. Pretty cool. Let the miles roll.

Everytime I try something new, my thoughts about what bike I need change. I'm starting entertain the idea of a pure road bike. The Javelin frames look sweet. Components will be expensive.