I finally took the plunge this past Saturday, as I participated in my first weekend group ride. With a confidence boost from my performance in the Thursday "slow ride" I decided that I could try to hang with the hammerheads for a little while on the longer and more challenging route. Saturday's ride started out under threatening skies, but we still managed to stay out of the rain until we dismounted at the finish. Overall I was very pleased with the ride, which turned out to be 28 miles at a 19.6 mph clip for me. I managed to hang with the group for everything but the one long (1.5 mile) climb on the route, where the group graciously waited at the top for me. Getting dropped on a climb is a double whammy, because not only are you suffering up a hill but you've also lost the benefit of the draft. Due solely to that one 1.5 mile stretch, the lead group managed an average pace that was about 1 mph faster than mine. I'm encouraged following this ride for a couple of reasons. First, it's genuinely refreshing to have the time and energy to go on these rides (i.e., I'm not on nightshift anymore). Second, the guys that I'm trying to keep up with are the very ones that I will be trying to beat once cross season starts. So, the fact that I'm only slightly behind these guys gives me lots of hope that I could be slightly ahead of them 6 months from now!