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I jumped out of bed early yesterday morning to head up to Ventura and join an unofficial training ride with AIDS Life Cycle's Team Ventura: 20 miles from a park off Pierpont up to Jack's Famous Bistro in Carpinteria and back.

I was worried about heat, as it was already above 70° when I left my apartment at 7:30, but Ventura, just like I remember, was foggy and cool and perfect for a morning ride.

We had planned to set out from Marina Park, but a triathlon being held along Pierpont limited auto access, and the group ended up fragmented. D and Casey rode up from Marina Park to find me at Seaward & Pierpont, and we continued north up to the beach parking lot to meet up with the rest of the group. From there we headed north, with Casey playing mother hen keeping everyone safe at road crossings.

I was kind of worried about being the "slow guy", so I initially set out just to keep up with whoever was in front of me. After 45 minutes of burning quads and a widening gap ahead of me, I looked back and discovered that D was 100 yars back, and a few other riders were barely visible well behind her. I decided to ease up, find a comfortable pace, and let the speed demons ahead of me go. When D caught up I asked, "Is is just me, or are they booking it?"

It turns out that they both do triathlons and marathons regularly, and are the established speeders of the group. Suddenly I didn't feel bad at all about not keeping up.

We joined the group that had been trailing us, and continued north. I'd been wondering if we'd use the freeway as part of our route, and (irrationally) worried about losing my balance/hitting a rock/discovering a rabid marmot in my camelback. Turns out that cruising next to 70mph traffic is really nice. The tailwind makes the whole thing feel like you're riding downhill, and the shoulder is wide and smooth.

The group split a few miles later: D, "Mom" and I took the easy road into Carpinteria, while the rest of the group peeled off to get in a good climb workout.

We pulled into Jacks' Famous Bistro for a snack, and D clocked the journey officially at 19.9 miles. Everyone else got sensible whole grain bagels and such, but my rumbling stomach got the better of me and I ordered French toast, scrambled eggs and a big-ass OJ. It turned out this was the perfect fuel for the ride home. (What can I say? I run on protein.)

We'd left the beach parking lot around 9:15, and arrived back at my car around 1:30. Including a 45-min stop for food, that's 40 miles in 3½ hours. Not too shabby.

This is an amazing group of people-- all ages, all skill levels, and all smiles. I had a blast, and I'll definitely be back in two weeks for the next ride. First, though, I need shorts with more padding.