Good morning friends.
Not riding has had its benefits. Riding also has it benefits. I prefer to ride.....
I got my TCX put back together over the weekend. Tom and I headed out for a nice gravel ride on Sunday. He asked how far and I said 20-30. It ended up being over 30 miles and was actually starting to get a little late before I finally got home. Whoops! The ride itself was pretty good, all thins considered. With the lack of miles in my legs the last 2 months I tend to get nervous about how I will respond to longer rides. I am able to hit the distance, but I can tell my endurance is lacking. We rode some pavement and some gravel on the north side of Allegan. At one point on a long climb Tom looks at me and asks "you regretting your decisions to not ride lately?". HAHA. Yes sir, I am paying the price for my lack of commitment.
He chose a nice route with some rolling hills and we eventually turned back towards town. We hit a road that is under construction and I could feel my lack of riding. The surface was rough packed gravel that is getting ready for asphalt. The stretch of road was a brutal 3ish miles and I felt like I didn't have any power. We were barely hitting 10 or 11 miles an hour on this section. Eventually we hit blacktop again and got by Tom's house. He peeled off and I continued on to home. Thankfully there is a solid downhill where I could get some recovery before one small climb by my house. Ended up with just under 33 miles.
Tuesday I had a few errands in Kalamazoo and was invited to the TNR with R3 cycling. On these rides I have no idea what to expect. I don't ride down here and I am not familiar with the area. So its always a new adventure. This night we had a total of 6 riders. Taking a look at who was there I knew I was the weakest link. That adds to the nerves a bit for a few reasons. One...they won't leave me behind, but its easy to get dropped. If that happens I always feel like I am slowing down the group. While its a normal thing, I don't like being that guy. This gives me incentive to hold onto the group the best I can.
I managed! We did a solid 25 miles at a brisk pace and I was able to hold on the entire time. There were moments where I was wondering if I could. I would get some space and force myself to draw back in. The rubber band was stretched a few times.....but it never broke. I kept telling myself....1 more mile.... 1 more mile....just hold on...just hold on. There were times when we were cruising at 20+. That might not seem fast for many, but for me its brisk. My last road ride was 16mph....so pushing upwards of 20 is stretching my fitness. I managed....but the nerves were high at times.
Overall it was a good couple days of riding. Having long jaunts between rides I always wonder how my body will respond. Right now....its ok. But there is a test on Saturday. I will head to Charlotte for the Fast Fitty. I am waffling on distance and I should just drop down....but I still don't know. lol. I made the commitment...so I should just follow thru. I will pay the price I know. But the course is relatively flat so distance is more of endurance. If Barry Roubaix was on the schedule I would definitely drop distances. lol.
At any rate....I am out there. Will probably get another ride or 2 in before the weekend. Fitness is way down.....but I think I can build it back up pretty quickly. Keep the rubber side down friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment