Do you remember your first time?
You were exhausted, your body ached all over but you kept going, in pursuit of the ultimate goal. When it was all over you had that warm fuzzy feeling inside that made you feel like a real man…or woman.
Now get your mind out of the gutter and realise we’re talking about the first time you racked up three digits on your bike speedo. That’s right! your first 100km ride. I remember mine it was a ride down the freeway starting from the city. I reached the service station down there at Baldivis, it was the only building in sight back then. No Hungry Jacks or shopping centre. On my return the speedo clocked a little over 80k’s. I was spent, my legs ached and I was ready for some lunch and a lie down, as is the usual start to a Saturday morning for many. I stopped off at the overpass which would take me back home and I thought to myself…’you know I could keep going.’ One more leg out to UWA and back again, plus a bit more, that would take me past 100k’s. Then I thought if I rode past UWA and that would be more than I needed. All I had to do then was ride home and I’d be over 100k’s for the day.
Now get your mind out of the gutter and realise we’re talking about the first time you racked up three digits on your bike speedo. That’s right! your first 100km ride. I remember mine it was a ride down the freeway starting from the city. I reached the service station down there at Baldivis, it was the only building in sight back then. No Hungry Jacks or shopping centre. On my return the speedo clocked a little over 80k’s. I was spent, my legs ached and I was ready for some lunch and a lie down, as is the usual start to a Saturday morning for many. I stopped off at the overpass which would take me back home and I thought to myself…’you know I could keep going.’ One more leg out to UWA and back again, plus a bit more, that would take me past 100k’s. Then I thought if I rode past UWA and that would be more than I needed. All I had to do then was ride home and I’d be over 100k’s for the day.
Is it possible?
So off I went, my goal was to ride as far as I could away from home to rack up an extra 10km. That would mean I was only 9km away from home and 9km away from 100k’s for the day. Now what better motivation is there to reach 100k’s for the first time than to have home waiting for you on the other side? The plan was simple, out and back. It was executed to perfection, well nearly. There appeared to be a small glitch in the matrix that morning as I miscalculated by 200m. That saw me ride one lap around the block before riding up the driveway. There was no way I was racking the bike with 99.8km on the speedo, though the thought did cross my mind to sit the thing upside down and spin the front wheel round a few times. So there it was my first, of now many, rides over 100k’s. the seal had been proverbially broken…now what next.
If you’re looking for your first 100km ride we’ve got the one for you. It’s a great mix of coastal riding up to Scarborough then back down to Freo to meet up with the round the river ride. There’s usually fairly heavy cycling traffic along this route especially during weekends and warmer weather so there’s plenty of others out there to motivate you along. There are some downfalls you have to be weary of though. This ride passes plenty of café’s and chocolate shops so be strong and don’t get distracted along the way. Be sure to choose your starting and finishing point carefully as to have a crowd around so you can brag out loud about your ride when you’re done and hopefully gain a few peloton brownie points for your efforts. Once you’ve completed your epic journey find a nice café order a half a dozen chocolate chip muffins a mammoth double espresso, full-strength milk, triple sugar coffee, find a quiet corner to sit in and think to yourself FIGJAM, because you are.
If you’re looking for your first 100km ride we’ve got the one for you. It’s a great mix of coastal riding up to Scarborough then back down to Freo to meet up with the round the river ride. There’s usually fairly heavy cycling traffic along this route especially during weekends and warmer weather so there’s plenty of others out there to motivate you along. There are some downfalls you have to be weary of though. This ride passes plenty of café’s and chocolate shops so be strong and don’t get distracted along the way. Be sure to choose your starting and finishing point carefully as to have a crowd around so you can brag out loud about your ride when you’re done and hopefully gain a few peloton brownie points for your efforts. Once you’ve completed your epic journey find a nice café order a half a dozen chocolate chip muffins a mammoth double espresso, full-strength milk, triple sugar coffee, find a quiet corner to sit in and think to yourself FIGJAM, because you are.
____________________________________________________________________
The following provides links to free group rides in Western Australia.
If you know of any group rides in Western Australia that are not listed please feel free to contact us at thisismytribe@live.com.au
