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March 27, 2005
Today's ride(s)
Today I did it. I got up in time to ride my bike to work and it was a very nice ride! At work today I hung out and cleaned and watched a little TV while I was sweeping. OLN had an adventure sport on. That was cool! These people were doing 10-day races with kayaks, mountain climbing, orienteering, mountain biking and running. They had wheels on their kayaks and were running with those strapped to a harness on their bodies! Wow. It's amazing what you can live through. I might have to try one of those sometime.
The ride to my sister's house from Burnsville to Hastings was awesome! I rode 23.133 miles at an average speed of 18.9 mph. At one long stretch of downhill I rode about a quarter mile between 30 and 35mph. That was fun! And I only had two 8mph hills to contend with, the rest were 12-16mph hills or relatively flat. So I had a good rhythm going riding above twenty on the flats.
But now I'm tired from eating too much dinner at my sister's house, and the great 43 mile day I had. Tomorrow's a running day and then Tuesday I'm going to ride up Minnehaha/West river road, turning at lake street and going back toward St. Paul on East River road to Summit. I'm looking forward to this route again. It has a familiar look and feel, since I rode it a lot last year. Tuesday will be my first day going that way since last Fall.
I can't even express how good that ride felt today. It was warm enough for short sleeved shirt and cool enough that I could ride harder without overheating.
Posted by carl1236 at March 27, 2005 08:44 PM | Cycle Racing
Comments
Sounds like fun. You're pretty fast, cruising along at 19 mph. Our 44 mile ride yesterday averaged about 15 mph if I recall. But there are lots of hills on that route. I'd be curious to know how fast I average. I have a computer, but I refuse to use it because I think it takes some of the fun out of riding the bike (for me anyway, some people love to watch the numbers).
Posted by: Jim at March 27, 2005 08:53 PM
There different purposes for riding a bike. that was a training ride for me to push myself for exercise and building endurance. Today is a running day for me, so I rode my Schwinn Suburban into work. The ride is so different and I don't feel like working hard on that bike. I think it's the upright position and the weight and the fenders and chainguard and the attitude the bike has. This Schwinn Suburban is really good for sightseeing at about 10-12mph. It's a sturdy, straight riding bike, that I can easily go 'no-hands' on and keep the line.
But when I was riding yesterday I wasn't sitting back enjoying the scenery, although I did see a lot of farm fields, I missed a lot when I was focusing on steady pedaling and breathing. It was a great training ride. Tomorrow night is a training ride also, so I'll ride the racing bike to work.
As far as speed and fun: To me they have different purposes. Speed is fun in it's own way, for the racing sport. Outside of racing and the preparation for it, going slow is also fun, but for different reasons. I plan on doing both this year, just to keep some balance and recognize the overall picture of the cycling world. Besides, I'm an explorer by nature and to be an explorer, I have to be observant, and it's easier to be observant of my surroundings if I am not focused on the speed and power of training.
Posted by: John at March 28, 2005 08:48 AM