JAE1969
Member
I was sitting in the bleachers last Friday at my daughter's volleyball game thinking about the weather report I just heard......Low of 38F and a high of 55F for the weekend. BRRRRRRRR!!! Due to family schedule conflicts, I had a short window of ride time Sunday morning.
So Saturday night was route planning time. Whenever I ride, I always make and print a map of my route so my wife knows where I am when out on the bike. I was thinking about the course I have been riding and how happy I have been with my progress on the V and the mileage and climb I had just done on my last ride. Coming back from being off the bike for so long (almost 5 years), continuing to increase ride distance with each ride and recording a great 29.72 miles on my last ride (most thus far) has just been awesome.
As I started planning, I kept thinking about my old training grounds when I would ride and prepare for my triathlon races years ago. I just hadn't felt like I was ready to hit those rodes again yet and if I was comfortable yet on the pure open road with traffic. Then I had a moment of decisiveness. A conversation with an old buddy made my decision.
The night before (Friday night) I ran into an old training buddy of mine that I hadn't seen since we last rode together 5 years ago. We caught up on each other's lives but I made no mention of my new endeavour with the V. Nobody knows I have it yet. This conversation is what did it....BACK TO MY OLD TRAINING GROUNDS!!! It was time!!!
As I started plotting my course in my mapping program, I could see the roads in my head as if I had just ridden them. The old farm community church steeples, the purple wildflower fields, the rollings hills that seems to taunt you as you see them stretch a mile a head of you with miles between each farm house, the long flats that egg you on to see how long you can hold that max speed, the long fast descents that make you think about how aero you can get to sqeak out another few mph to try and hit a new max speed, only to come back to reality knowing that this descent has an alter ego.....the daunting long climb back to elevation.
Sunday morning I wake up to blue skies. Looking out the window as I get ready to roll, I think that the weather man has once again messed up his weather report. As I walk out with my gear to load my bike, I quickly realize he was spot on! I can see my breath. UGH!! 38F is exactly what the thermometer in my car reads. A short drive to my starting point and it seems the temp gauge hadn't quite warmed up yet....it is actually 44F.
Dressed for the ride, wearing 3 layers, thermo socks, ear warmers and thermo gloves, I couldn't think of any other place I would rather be that morning but on that bike. The adrenaline was pumping as the course was playing out in my head as I clipped in.
I WAS BACK ON MY OLD TRAINING GROUNDS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 5 YEARS!!!!! THANK YOU CRUZBIKE!!!!
The roads were awesome. Several were newly paved, smooth and fast, while others were still rough and vibrated the bike as they always had. There were also some roads that had been rerouted due to new construction. And the answer is yes, I did make a wrong turn at them. haha
Long and short of it is that while I had planned on a 35 mile ride, I just felt too damm good and excited to be back. Not to mention I don't know how many more days the weather is going to allow me to ride outside. So where I had originally planned to turn right at Flatwoods Rd, I continued straight and added on another 7 miles.
All in all I logged slightly over 42 miles with an average speed of 17.8mph. The rolling country hills and pure roads were much more real than the flat levee trail and snippet of road that I had been riding. Real world baby!!!! I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!
A couple more firsts for me. Besides just being back on my old training grounds, I also got reaquainted with those damm farm dogs. The border collie was on his mark and chased me from his mailbox to the end of his property; about 500 yards. And he could still hold 25mph. I wasn't afraid of him doing anything other than running with me as he had always done. Good to see him still. The big surprise was the bull masttiff that just moved in with the blue heeler. For those unfamiliar with blue heelers, they are a mean little farm dog. They must have been out front cause they saw me coming and and had a line on me. I thought the bull mastiff was going to t-bone me and knock me right off the bike. Plus I think it was half great dane becasue this thing was taller than me on the V. Dauntingly huge. The good thing about this farm is that it is on a flat toward the end of a descent so I carry about 35mph past it.
Following is a link and route profile of the ride. Sorry, I don't have any photos. It is just that when I get out there, stopping is not part of my plan. I will have my GoPro next week (i hope) so I will hopefullly have some video to share. And introduce you to the dogs. haha
http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/190781373
Until next ride. Unfortunately I am sitting on an airplane at 33,000 feet as I type. WiFi at 33,000 ft is awesome!!
So Saturday night was route planning time. Whenever I ride, I always make and print a map of my route so my wife knows where I am when out on the bike. I was thinking about the course I have been riding and how happy I have been with my progress on the V and the mileage and climb I had just done on my last ride. Coming back from being off the bike for so long (almost 5 years), continuing to increase ride distance with each ride and recording a great 29.72 miles on my last ride (most thus far) has just been awesome.
As I started planning, I kept thinking about my old training grounds when I would ride and prepare for my triathlon races years ago. I just hadn't felt like I was ready to hit those rodes again yet and if I was comfortable yet on the pure open road with traffic. Then I had a moment of decisiveness. A conversation with an old buddy made my decision.
The night before (Friday night) I ran into an old training buddy of mine that I hadn't seen since we last rode together 5 years ago. We caught up on each other's lives but I made no mention of my new endeavour with the V. Nobody knows I have it yet. This conversation is what did it....BACK TO MY OLD TRAINING GROUNDS!!! It was time!!!
As I started plotting my course in my mapping program, I could see the roads in my head as if I had just ridden them. The old farm community church steeples, the purple wildflower fields, the rollings hills that seems to taunt you as you see them stretch a mile a head of you with miles between each farm house, the long flats that egg you on to see how long you can hold that max speed, the long fast descents that make you think about how aero you can get to sqeak out another few mph to try and hit a new max speed, only to come back to reality knowing that this descent has an alter ego.....the daunting long climb back to elevation.
Sunday morning I wake up to blue skies. Looking out the window as I get ready to roll, I think that the weather man has once again messed up his weather report. As I walk out with my gear to load my bike, I quickly realize he was spot on! I can see my breath. UGH!! 38F is exactly what the thermometer in my car reads. A short drive to my starting point and it seems the temp gauge hadn't quite warmed up yet....it is actually 44F.
Dressed for the ride, wearing 3 layers, thermo socks, ear warmers and thermo gloves, I couldn't think of any other place I would rather be that morning but on that bike. The adrenaline was pumping as the course was playing out in my head as I clipped in.
I WAS BACK ON MY OLD TRAINING GROUNDS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 5 YEARS!!!!! THANK YOU CRUZBIKE!!!!
The roads were awesome. Several were newly paved, smooth and fast, while others were still rough and vibrated the bike as they always had. There were also some roads that had been rerouted due to new construction. And the answer is yes, I did make a wrong turn at them. haha
Long and short of it is that while I had planned on a 35 mile ride, I just felt too damm good and excited to be back. Not to mention I don't know how many more days the weather is going to allow me to ride outside. So where I had originally planned to turn right at Flatwoods Rd, I continued straight and added on another 7 miles.
All in all I logged slightly over 42 miles with an average speed of 17.8mph. The rolling country hills and pure roads were much more real than the flat levee trail and snippet of road that I had been riding. Real world baby!!!! I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!
A couple more firsts for me. Besides just being back on my old training grounds, I also got reaquainted with those damm farm dogs. The border collie was on his mark and chased me from his mailbox to the end of his property; about 500 yards. And he could still hold 25mph. I wasn't afraid of him doing anything other than running with me as he had always done. Good to see him still. The big surprise was the bull masttiff that just moved in with the blue heeler. For those unfamiliar with blue heelers, they are a mean little farm dog. They must have been out front cause they saw me coming and and had a line on me. I thought the bull mastiff was going to t-bone me and knock me right off the bike. Plus I think it was half great dane becasue this thing was taller than me on the V. Dauntingly huge. The good thing about this farm is that it is on a flat toward the end of a descent so I carry about 35mph past it.
Following is a link and route profile of the ride. Sorry, I don't have any photos. It is just that when I get out there, stopping is not part of my plan. I will have my GoPro next week (i hope) so I will hopefullly have some video to share. And introduce you to the dogs. haha
http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/190781373
Until next ride. Unfortunately I am sitting on an airplane at 33,000 feet as I type. WiFi at 33,000 ft is awesome!!
