SPANDEX FASHION SHOW: FIRST TRAINING RIDE WEEKEND EXTRAVAGANZA: DAY TWO

Weekend day two was a lovely little 18 mile SM/Marina Del Ray/Venice/Brentwood ride. That seems like a lot of places all written out like that, especially as they were not driven to in a car. Anyway, it was with a much larger group than day one (as my day one was Ivy and me, that was not difficult) but everyone was very nice and positive and I met at least 2 new people which is 2 more people than I generally meet on a typical weekend. There was, once again, no falling off, major bodily harm, or death for me, so that was great. Big shout out to Chris, my new bff, and incredibly patient personal coach for the day. She rode behind me and made bike/ballet analogies the whole ride which made a lot of things make a lot more sense. (I don't think people realize that when I say I have never played a sport, I am being quite literal, so ballet is the closest thing I have to reference.) She reminded me to bend my elbows and loosen my death grip on my poor (but still scary) bike and she taught me how to stop correctly which, as you might imagine, is proving to be very useful. By the end of the ride I felt at least 75% more confident than when I started and I even made several left turns in traffic without panicking, which is something I try to avoid, even in a car. Much love for Chris and I am so happy I got to meet her and benefit from her vast knowledge of cycling and dealing with the un-athletic new riders (such as myself).
Post ride we triumphantly went to brunch, which is really all I could think about the whole ride anyway. (Ivy had to keep an eye on me so I would not veer off course and end up having mimosas at Shutters, my natural habitat.) So happy that eating was incorporated into this day as I am currently as hungry as a 14 year old boy. Or that guy on the travel channel who eats like 15 lbs burgers.
Finally we stopped at Cynergy, because that is, apparently, where we hang out now. I found myself in a bike store, on a Sunday, in cycling clothes, with fingerless gloves on, trying on clip in shoes. Kerry called me out as an official "cycling nerd." I think am having an identity crises...but possibly in a good way...?