Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Rolled bold...

Today was a beautiful day - 65 degrees, a light westerly breeze at 7 to 10mph, plenty of sunshine. A cyclist couldn't ask for much more.

I rolled out on my bike around 12:15pm after a longer-than-expected-but-much-needed visit across town. I began slowly, taking it easy, gradually getting up to speed. I had been experiencing knee pain over the past week or so and remembered reading somewhere that knee pain is sometimes associated with a too-low saddle. So I was, at the beginning of the ride, testing my new height.

A mile or so into my ride, I felt great, so I cranked it up a bit. I covered ground at a pretty good clip, ending my ride out at a 16.1mph average.

My ride back was fast. I only once, maybe twice, dropped below 20mph, over the 8 plus miles. I maxed out on the descent of L'Alpe Danville at 35.9mph, a bold red speed. As I neared Drouhard Hill, I realized that double bold red was within reach. My average was around 17.5mph as I pushed over the crest of the hill and began racing down its slope. I was at 17.7mph at the bottom and the numbers continued to climb. I hit double bold red around the county line and kept gaining all the way home, ending with an 18.3mph average.

I'm still way behind my goal. I'm talking almost 300 miles behind. But today was a good day. My fastest of the year and in the top 20 all time for me and my Sedona. Can't wait for warmer weather and new records. My current record average (not counting two 20+mph with-the-wind-only rides) is 19.7mph. It's going to fall sometime this year if I have anything to say about it.

Wake up legs! It's time to start flying!

No comments: