21.65 mi in 01:04:51 hours at 20.03 mi/h on Trek 1500. [Cycling] A cool wet ride. The remnant of hurricane Fay is sitting right on top of us without much movement. We've been getting a lot of rain. Rather than trying to do the Intergraph Tuesday ride I've been doing, I did not even carry my bike today. I planned to come home and put the bike on the floor trainer. But, the rain let up mostly by the time I got home and, although it was getting dark early due to the clouds, I decided to strap on the front and rear light kit and hit the road close to home. I just rode loops. While it was still light enough to feel safe, I rode the Barksdale/Copeland loop. When it started to get dark and I felt less safe on Copeland, I closed it down to the smaller Barksdale/Ed Ray loop. With the rain and wind, it was relatively cool. Temps mid 70s. Winds NW 8 mph. Light misty rain most of the time. Given the conditions, I was pleased with my performance. I'm getting more speed with less heart rate, now. Five months ago, it was all I could do to get 20 miles at 20 mph - i.e., 95% heart rate. Today, I did it without trying too hard - at 85-90% heart rate.
78.17 mi in 04:21:30 hours at 17.94 mi/h on Trek 1500. [Cycling] LCC Saturday morning ride with 9 riders, if memory serves correctly - good turnout. A couple dropped off early. We had a couple of new folks - one age 66 and one who just graduated high school. We had winds from the east. Hurricane Fay is producing winds from the east - a bit unusualy for us here. There wasn't a lot of wind early (N at 3 mph), but it picked up a bit later (E at 7-8 mph with gusts to 16 mph) - never did feel anything major. Later, it did make for some good speed heading west. I did about 30 miles with the group - so, another 48 miles alone. I saw a lot of cyclists out today. I had two flat tires today. Before I left the house, I thought something was up with my back tire. I usually deflate after every right, but not completely. It was completely down before I aired up. After riding into town to meet the group, it was very (too) low. So, I changed the tube before we started. My new CO2 unit is better than my last one, but I never did get enough pressure on the tire with the cartidge. I think I need to get one of those mini frame pumps that transforms into a mini floor pump - I'm tired of being disappointed with CO2 solutions. So, I rode a little low with the group. Later, when I was alone, I had ANOTHER flat. I was headed north on Wells Rd and turning right onto Copeland. There was some dried up grass from a mower that I did not notice, so my rear tire slid left. It almost slid out from under me - I had already resigned myself in my mind that I was about to hit the pavement at 20+ mph. But, the grass patch was small and I got traction again just in time. I did not go down, but I looked down and saw the flat. I guess the side torque rolled it just enough to pinch the tube - bummer. Once again, it paid off to carry two tubes and cartridges.
20.01 mi in 01:13:01 hours at 16.44 mi/h on Trek 1500. [Cycling] Indoor ride at a moderate on the Kinetic Rock-n-Roll trainer. Nothing speciall to report - just an 80% HR ride.
35.00 mi in 01:40:17 hours at 20.94 mi/h on Trek 1500. [Cycling] Intergraph Tuesday ride. We had 15 or more to start out, but folks fell off at various points and we ended up with several from about 1/4 to 1/2 the way. There were a couple of really strong riders in that group, so the rest of us were struggling. It was pretty hot and I ended up over-heating at about 20 miles this time and had to back off to get my heart rate somewhat back under control. I was totally left behind, but later caught up with a couple more that had fallen off. I ended up pulling them a good bit the last half and still finished fairly strong. It wasn't a great night. My heart was generally higher than a similar ride here a few weeks ago - even though I managed my fluids, electrolytes, food, and rest well beforehand. Work has been stressful - I'm sure that is affecting me, lately. One of the fast riders was the Cat3 state champion - 17 years old. I couldn't keep up with him, but I learned a bit by observing him. It made me realize I really need to change my training to race - must build up burst power for hill break aways and hard short pulls.
76.17 mi in 04:06:23 hours at 18.55 mi/h on Trek 1500. [Cycling] LCC Saturday morning ride. I rode in the 6 mi to meet the group, rode about 32 miles with them, and then went solo for the rest of this ride. We started with five, but one had to drop just after the start due to a broken spoke - bummer. We got a late start this morning waiting for some light rain to clear out. The group rode up to the cemetery past the rocket rest stop on I-65 near the Ala-Tenn border. Then, we just turned around and came back with a bit of variation. The weather was good - cooler than normal in the 70s and 80s. We had cloud cover early, too. I felt strong today after a bit lighter workout week. At about 66 miles, I felt some of those twinges on my right inner thigh, again. I was coming up a long steady hill. I just backed off, massaged it a bit, and worked through it. My quads were touchy after that, so I didn't push hard on any inclines. I've got to figure that out. I management everything well today - fluids, electrolytes, food. I just don't get it. Maybe, it's just a matter of continuing to build my base - i.e., just keep riding long regularly.
