A Cold Evening Ride

So unlike our Oregon tour, we decided that it would be best to tour for this trip.  There are a few reasons for this: 1) we are planning on covering more miles 2) my knee has been bothering me a bit and 3) we have some seriously long days planned - like 90 miles.

For training we wanted to mix things up so we decided to try a ride with the Twin Cities Bike Club last night.  If you like to bike and are looking for a group to bike with you should totally give it a try.  They have different levels and it is really affordable.  Anyways, the details of our ride . . .   I have to say it was a great idea.  It was so energizing biking in a group of people and it really made sure we kept our pace up.  That said, the route was a bit hard to follow and the leader wasn't that sure on where to go.  The good news - I heard this is rare.  Below is the map of our ride:



I promise to learn how to get a better map on the blog before a trip.  This was a B level ride which says the average should be 14-16 mph - that includes the slow climbs.  We really did average 14 mpg over the 27 miles and we were near the back of the group.  This ride was a B level ride so if you want something slower/more leisurely I would suggest a lower level.  The ride itself was absolutely beautiful!!  If you have not been yet you totally need to head out to Hyland Lake Park Reserve.  Go there by bike or car - but really you want to head there.