Boy Talk

This month I have actually been excited about riding.  Probably the first time I have really been excited about riding while living in Ho Chi Minh City.  Mui Ne riding is amazing... and makes it all worth it.

Rachel came last month.  Riding with her is great!  She's a triathlete so she doesn't ride as many days as I do, and with Family Day, etc... its been hard to connect the last two weeks.

Breakfast of champions?  ha ha... coffee, clearly! Oatmeal with plenty of brown sugar.

I get up at 4:40am.  My body is used to this now.  Follow the same routine, turn on coffee pot, prepare breakfast, get dressed.  Talk myself into it...  Ignor the feelings of, "Oh...its so early"....

I get ready to go about 5:00am, take my bike out, and there are a few sprinkles... hmmm..

I do one lap of the bridge (slow, incredibly slow and don't know why?)

See Alex.  I knew I would see him as he's standard scenery on a Saturday.  Luckily, saw him at the base of the  bridge so could chat the ride up

It isn't this light at 5:15am, but eventually is...  This is our 'hill'.  47m climb over 1km.  We do what we can on it.

We arrive at the bridge on time... early actually becasue Alex does nothing slow.  There's no commute...just ride hard.  I could learn a thing or two.

The guys look at the rain coming from the east and say, "We go to the Bridge!"  I think, who knows... we are completely dependent on Sa whose English is amazing!

I have a big grin on my face!

Alex and I talk, "Who will be the best up the hill"...  lets face it, no one goes up the bridge at 5:30am just for the scenery of the Saigon River!  And if they do, they are not part of these guys.... so I tell myself.

We take off and clear fom the group, so do others, a few pass me, I look back... they are coming....

but..

HA!

I am 5th to the top.....  out of all those Vietnamese guys that continually put me to shame each and every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday....

Same on the way back, except I over took two that took me on the wat over.

Happy girl!  VERY happy girl.

So then I go to meet Kristof and a few in front of Saigon Cycles bike shop.  We chat for a bit.  I realize, I am in deep trouble.  These guys are all way bigger then me, two equiped with Tri-bars, the other two, experienced cyclists... I am going to get killed....

We do three laps...

Lap 1:  Okay, we organize, they are tight so I try to stay on the wheels, but its a bit hard.  Not as comfortable as i'd like to be.  I think this training will be good for me.

My turn to pull, I keep it at 38, seems to be what they are doing.

Lap 2:  We seem to split a bit, the Dane and Swiss in front, me in the middle, Kristof and Chris in the back.  Can't catch up, don't want to fall back.

Lap 3: Chris goes home, Kristof says, "Yeah, lets just take the last lap easy"....

They took off and I didn't know they were going to do that.  By the time I figured it out, they were to far to catch.

I was a bit pissed to be honest.  Even though I told them they didn't have to wait for me if I drop.  But if I knew the plan and got dropped....well... oh well.

So, apparently, "Let's take it easy" is boy talk for "Let's drop the GIRL!"

Today's ride:  96km....  probably the most intensity since a race.

ha ha ha...all that said, it was a good ride!  Only teasing the boys...definitely want an invite back!