last time up 9-mile?

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/92950027

i couldn't go out until after 6:00 this morning because i was on call with EMS until then. i actually slept almost until 6:00 anyway. that was pretty awesome!

i rode north up pine and then turned into the wind. it was awful! i tried to keep my legs spinning in circles, but they insisted on squares. grrrr! i settled into a rhythm and slowly made my way down the road. i had planned to ride 15 miles or so, but when i saw nine-mile hill in the distance, i decided i needed to climb it. with a move in the near future, i never know when the last time to do a favorite hill or route will be, so i'm taking the chance when i have it. nine-mile hill is a special one, so i went for it. i stayed seated and ground it out all the way up. it was beautiful!

when i turned around, the wind suddenly turned wonderful! it pushed me back. i seldom dropped below 20mph the whole way home. my effort was halved. it felt great! i returned home with plenty of time to clean up and eat breakfast with my wife before work. (18.11 miles @ 16.0mph)