The Wheels on the Bike Go 'Round and 'Round

I've been cycling ...

... and it's been great. I've fallen back in love with it this summer! WRR was a blast and a great way to kick off the summer riding season. I've joined back in with the NRVBA club rides on Saturdays. What a great group of folks they are. What a great chance to see everything near and far from Blacksburg!

My riding routes have expanded in only a month's time. Only a few weekends ago, I rode out of Shawsville on the Allegheny Springs ride. It was a KILLER climb at one point, causing me to walk my double about 300 ft. before I mustered the courage to hop back on to ride to the top. Last weekend I joined the NRVBA Route 311 group ride. It was a gorgeous ride and I made another possible female cycling/triathlete partner. I also saw a lot of (the stupid helmetless) guys from Roanoke out on the road that day, too.

I've also added in cardio classes to my workout schedule. These classes, held at The Weight Club, have been great in strengthening my leg "sprint" muscles. (Especially effective have been the Step-and-Squat classes.) I've been loving the fine-tuning of my core balance through the Pilates and (painful) ABsolute Core sessions, too. These definitely leave me tired and often sore. My next-day cycling performance suffers, too, but my body is finally coming around. Rest days never hurt, either!

I'm heading home to Chico, CA for a visit next week. I'm planning to ride the 50-mile Quincy Summer Solstice with my friend, Berta, while I'm there:

"This is a beautiful route that extends the thirty mile route with an out and back trip to Meadow Valley (Rest stop #9) on the Bucks Lake Road. The total elevation gain is about 3,000'. (2 rest stops)"

I'll report on how it goes when I come back.