Team Aling starts up their training

The Alings getting ready for their first group ride

You probably already know that the Mangs could never make it through the night without their female counterparts - the Alings (whereas Mang is another way of saying "sir" in Tagalog, Aling is a way of saying "ma'am").  So it was only a matter of time when the Mangs' female charter started riding, too.  To be fair, some Alings have been riding - and riding strong - but many had yet to mount that iron horse sitting in their garages.  Other priorities in their lives always managed to prevent the from spending a few hours of their weekend on their wheeled machines.
But on a sunny Saturday morning, a week after the STP Classic (an event in which many of them gave support to the Mangs), several Alings took to the streets and finally rode their first group ride. They took it easy, cruising at comfortable speeds and navigating the Kent/Green River trail system so that the more experienced riders could guide and encourage the less experienced ones.  Riding as a pack boosted their confidence and these women wasted no time encouraging, instructing and having fun with each other in conversation and learning basic bike handling skills.  The atmosphere was very positive and fun-filled.  For added wit, we threw in a few Mangs to ride along and catch up.
The total ride was a good 3 hours or so and passed through the requisite Starbucks break in Kent, eventually ending up at a Hawaiian BBQ place for lunch.  Hmm, now why are we not surprised?

Recalorization ceremonies are customary after a ride

Overall, it was a great time for everyone.  There are some who may have had some difficulty, being that this was their first time to ride - but with the encouragement of the other Alings, everyone finished with a feeling of accomplishment and a desire to get back on the wheeled machines the next week.
The Alings will continue to ride on the weekends, progressing from the trail system to some city streets and then - gasp - hills! all the way up to the Cycle the Wave ride in Mid September.  Hopefully, this enthusiasm won't stop after that event - we're looking for Alings to represent at the Lake Chelan Challenge and STP in 2016.  And who knows - we might even see a few more tandems in the team.  Mangs will be right there to support them, too, as they've always been there to support the Mangs.

Go Team Aling!