So today was a partial day off to make time for car wrangling (one recently totaled, the other with engine problems) and doctor visiting, as well as other personal items. I started early, produced a 54 page document and rewarded myself with a quick ride.
I tossed the bike in the back of the ailing car, dropped the keys of with the mechanic, slipped into cycle-gear, and rolled down the road.
The sky was slate grey, winds were steady form the south, and it felt damp and not as warm as it was supposed to be. Ugh.
I maintained a steady 90 RPM cadence and forced myself to concentrate -- ignore the wind, the cold, the repetitious slate grey sky and focus on technique, breathing, rhythm.
That lasted 3 miles.
It's hard to be motivated when you feel like you've done this exact same ride in these exact same conditions exactly one thousand times. But the rhythm and the breathing and the sense of propulsion caught up with me and soon I was riding, ignoring self-doubt, self-pity, and cold toes.
I climbed the steady grade up to Milton Grove road, crested, and the sky split open: bright blue on one side, slate grey behind.
Begone, slate grey!
I pushed a bit harder into the bright blue, the wind now quartering tailwind, not enough to help, but no hindrance.
Cars were few, the warmth seeped in, and the ride became fun.
I rolled through town, pushed to the foot of HA hill, then spun up the short 13% patch at the end of the 8% ramp. It didn't feel good and I have a few hundred more hills to climb before speed can be associated with my climbing, but, that's what spring is for.
Down the steady grade into the teeth of the the SW wind, onto the flattish return roads, past the couple on the 5 MPH tandem (each wearing a jacket flapping in the wind), and one final small effort to get home with a decent average speed.
The start: Not so fun
The end: This is why I keep rolling
Lesson learned.
I tossed the bike in the back of the ailing car, dropped the keys of with the mechanic, slipped into cycle-gear, and rolled down the road.
The sky was slate grey, winds were steady form the south, and it felt damp and not as warm as it was supposed to be. Ugh.
I maintained a steady 90 RPM cadence and forced myself to concentrate -- ignore the wind, the cold, the repetitious slate grey sky and focus on technique, breathing, rhythm.
That lasted 3 miles.
It's hard to be motivated when you feel like you've done this exact same ride in these exact same conditions exactly one thousand times. But the rhythm and the breathing and the sense of propulsion caught up with me and soon I was riding, ignoring self-doubt, self-pity, and cold toes.
I climbed the steady grade up to Milton Grove road, crested, and the sky split open: bright blue on one side, slate grey behind.
Begone, slate grey!
I pushed a bit harder into the bright blue, the wind now quartering tailwind, not enough to help, but no hindrance.
Cars were few, the warmth seeped in, and the ride became fun.
I rolled through town, pushed to the foot of HA hill, then spun up the short 13% patch at the end of the 8% ramp. It didn't feel good and I have a few hundred more hills to climb before speed can be associated with my climbing, but, that's what spring is for.
Down the steady grade into the teeth of the the SW wind, onto the flattish return roads, past the couple on the 5 MPH tandem (each wearing a jacket flapping in the wind), and one final small effort to get home with a decent average speed.
The start: Not so fun
The end: This is why I keep rolling
Lesson learned.
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