Practice Ride Done, leave in 36 hours...

After reporting to Providence yesterday afternoon, we did some orientation activities yesterday evening and this morning before taking off on a short, 20-mile practice ride around northern Providence and into Massachusetts. I'd never ridden in a group before (at most with 2 other cyclists), so I was a little wary. We did a safety talk beforehand and they went over a lot of things that group riders have to do to alert each other of hazards, cars, turns, etc. That had me thinking I was just going to ride by myself all summer to avoid all of that. (We all know how much of a loner I am at heart.) However, about 8 of us took off in the lead pack and stayed together for the entire ride, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. It felt really cool to be a part of a long line of bikers (all dressed the same and riding similar bikes) shouting out signals while cruising down country routes. Very team building-esque. There were a few times when I had the urge to get out of the saddle and go, but I decided to stay in line and enjoy the cruise. Come the trip on Sunday, I think I'll be a little more liberal with my speed, but today I was enjoying myself. No aches or pains to speak of.

Speaking of speed, I was mildly concerned coming into the trip that I would be with a bunch of people who were big-time cyclists with a lot of speed. Of course, everybody's natural desire during the first few days is to demonstrate what they know and validate their belonging here, so there were some mild, harmless "pissing contests" going on. However, I felt really strong today in the lead group, and although there were some accomplished cyclists who were hanging back, I don't have to worry about bringing up the rear and holding people back. Overall, the group is great; I feel like I'm going to enjoy spending time with them.

Tomorrow we have a build day with the local Habitat affiliate. Their director spoke to us today and he's a cool guy. The Providence affiliate builds 5-6 houses per year, and tomorrow we'll be working on a duplex that all your donations helped fund. Thanks! Then we dip our tires in a harbor boat launch connected to the Atlantic on Sunday morning at 10 AM and take off for the west coast. I think because my mind and body were still in Ithaca just until a few days ago, I wasn't overly excited about getting on a bike and going 3,700 miles, but after today's ride, I'm definitely ready to go. Spirits are high!

Talk to you guys soon