This morning's weigh-in has me down from last week. Going for a ride around the South end of the lake with my team at 10:00.

166.4 (-1.6, -1.8 overall)
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I don't even know where to begin with the ride today. There were six of us total -- this is a ride put together by one of the Cat 4 women who wanted a no-drop "get in a workout and get to know your teammates ride". I was happy about that especially since the last ride I went to with the team left me really doubting (again) if this was the group for me.

I managed to keep up with them although they started really fast and my legs have been a bit mangled from all the recent activity -- most recently trying to keep up with a very happy and excited 12 year old last night for three hours in the Snoqualmie Tubing center. :)

We started from the Leschi Starbucks -- I drove down and left the car for Ruth to pick up as she did her own ride and planned to end in Leschi.

We did the south end of the lake and stopped for a short break at Coulon Park. Then on Mercer Island, the group decided to push it a bit around the long side. Initially, I thought I would break away and take the shorter route as I needed to get back for Janarah's basketball game. But I decided instead that maybe I would attend her game a bit sweaty and take the opportunity to ride with a group I was really enjoying and see if I could keep up with the fast girls.

I hung with them for about half the ride but had to drop back when it got hilly and a bit more challenging. There was a gap that split the group with three in the front, two ahead of me and then me -- the caboose. I was able to keep those two (Eve and Eliza) in sight mostly but I heard the crash before I saw it.

A kid in a white SUV was making a left turn into West Mercer Way and made eye contact with Eve, who was riding with Eliza and then made a poor decision and gunned it at the last moment. Eliza's head went through his driver's side window and they both went down. Hard.

I stayed with them until the emergency vehicles took them away and another cyclist who lived nearby took their bikes to store in his garage because we could not fit their bikes and mine and Ruth's in the Subaru.

After going home to get into warm clothes and then picking up their bikes, we went to Swedish to check on them. They were so fortunate to have only minor injuries -- the worst being Eliza's broken nose from the contact. Her bike fared far worse. I am grateful that it ended the way it did considering all the alternatives.

30 Mile Bike @ 02:00:00