Why do I ride???

FOR THE PIG!!!!!!

I mean is he not the cutest?? Ok ok, I know that is not a real answer but it sort of is. This past Sunday the ladies formerly known as ABRT went on a team training ride with our wonderful instructor, see below for image. We went up to frederick to get in some good hills and all I can say is from the moment I heard we were going to frederick at 8 am in the morning, on a sunday, in february, I was not excited. We all get down in the winter and sometimes it is harder to get on the bike than others but I was definitly thinking this was going to be a sufferfest in more ways than one. Well, I WAS TOTALLY WRONG.
First, I drive up there with sara, we have plenty of time, but manage to be 15 mins late because not only do we end up in the middle of a farm while trying to locate the school but we end up driving right past it and all our teammates after we turn around and going to far. Good start.

So we go out for our 30 min trip to our hill, say hello to some fellow riders out there, I guess we are not the only insane ones. We make it to the hill only to turn around due to the slush and ice still on the road. But not to worry, there are hills to be had everywhere in frederick. We find ourselves a new hill and repeat it several times, you know, just for the fun of it!!! Wow it has been a long time since I have seen stars while riding and I remember thinking, why do I do this?? This really hurts!!! But, as Leslie and I discussed on the way down to do another interval, within 1 min, you forget the pain and think, well, that wasn't so bad. All I can say is thank god for that, that is some form of self preservation.

We finish our lovely intervals, and they actually were pretty great, and start to head home. This is where the real fun begins. It starts out with a couple of us just riding, getting hit in the head with ice, and singing some really old rap songs. Wendy, Michelle and I then got into a fun paceline as we tempoed it home. It was so much fun, more fun than I have had on my bike in a long time. We are whipping back down the hills and just working really well together. So, we all regroup and decide to document our trip in front of this pig. I think it is always important to document epic rides/races with a classic picture. So, for me, this pig represents the reason I ride. I ride because I have awesome teammates and friends who can make riding in the cold and in the dead of winter on snow and with falling ice, the most wonderful experience.

Stayed tuned for more, because, if you know us, you know this is just the tip of the iceberg (no pun intended).