On my previous trip, I went for a scouting ride out to Mt. Holyoke in South Hadley, MA. The start of that ride was a little chilly, but it quickly warmed up and was an absolutely gorgeous ride. I got turned around, once or twice, but nothing too big. And, the biggest part, I did it alone, in anticipation of leading a group of 8 other riders along the same route. After a decent ride, I felt confident in the route (both out and back), and there wasn't a turn that I would get lost on. That part I was confident about.
Leading a ride, with seven other bikes? That made me nervous.
I was nervous about it, up to the morning of, when I realized I had forgotten to print out copies of the map for the others. I had to fix an issue at work that morning, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone. It wasn't a big issue (on either count), and I was quickly on my way to the meetup starting point.
Side note: my bike hates starting in the cold. It was a good five minutes of cussing, swearing, and repeated attempts to start the bike before it finally kicked over. Once she warmed up, though, she was right as rain.
I must say, it was far colder this weekend than any other I've ridden. Even after putting the liner back in my riding jacket and closing the sleeves, I was still freezing. Definitely a case to be made for buying a new windshield for the bike. I liked the one the bike came with, but, it was damaged when I tumbled. I think it's a good thing, though, since I would definitely like to get one with a quick-release mount. I also need better cold weather riding gloves. It's not quite so easy riding with near-frozen fingers. Chalk this one up to lessons learned about riding.
The route was just as easy to ride this time as it was the last time; with two exceptions. There was a bit more traffic in Amherst than the first time, and they were paving part of the route on 117. I think, however, that being lost and turned around a few times is worse than having to deal with a little traffic and some road work, so I think it all balances out. There were a few views that were definitely better, this time around, given that there wasn't as much cloud cover as last time. Mostly the views on 202 and the top of Mt. Holyoke were far better, and the rest of the trip was nicer overall.
As it turned out, only two other people showed up for the ride, both of them experienced in group riding. This helped, a lot. Plus, with only two other people, it helped calm me down for the trip. They knew what they were doing, and I could focus more on actually learning the ropes on how to lead; when to signal, the best spots for single-file vs. staggered formation, and generally keeping an eye on road conditions. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous at all. But, by the time we reached out lunch stop, most of the gitters were gone and the rest of the ride went much more smoothly.
Second side note: I scraped my first peg on one of the switchbacks heading up the road to the summit of Mt. Holyoke. The rider right behind me, Brenda, told me she thought she saw sparks. The best part, I didn't panic, and was able to complete the turn without a problem. Coming down was a little more sloppy; I need more brake control practice.
When all was said and done, both the other riders complimented me on a "job well done" for leading the ride as well as I did. It helps to know that I'm good enough at it that I can lead future rides without too many problems. Hopefully I won't be nearly as nervous next time.
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