Monday, 13 June 2011
My ride didn't seem so special in the first leg to the gym: at one point when my heart seemed to strain, I noticed the HR was only at 120 bpm, and I worried momentarily that I was way too tired to push hard for the ride home. But that feeling lasted only a quarter mile, and I felt power and wholeness return.
I kept my weight training short, with just a focus on the shoulder exercises, and I was at full power when I was back on the bike. The hill beside the frisbee golf course added to my sense of being at high power, and I continued through to Smithville at an average of over 20 mph. Through Eastwood, the intensity matched the need for care at the crossings and on the turns, and then I applied full power as I passed the 3rd lap point. Around Findlay Street, I saw a rider in the distance and my goal was to catch him before the Green Bridge. He had a good speed and remained a challenge until the catch below the Webster Street bridge. From that point, the large numbers of pedestrians required careful, slower maneuvering until the Main Street bridge, and then I could apply full power again. As I approached the turn to the Monument Bridge ramp, another rider approached from the south. When he stopped short of the ramp, I called out "Oh com'on. Go for it." He laughed with some embarrassment, but still walked his hybrid up the gentler, double-backed ramps.
As I crossed the bridge, I noted that my time was a bit earlier than usual, maybe the day will be a year's record time.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 72 to 77°F at 16:55
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph variable
Clothing: Skinsuit; ankle socks. Open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed-gear
Time: 00:57:33 for 15.84 miles
Heart rate: 129 bpm average, 155 bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 19 cyclists, 13 pedestrians, 3 dogs
Here is a playback of the ride.
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