The weather in central NJ was great this afternoon and I was able to get some training in. As soon as I got home from work I put my cycling gear on and hit the road. I did not have a distance of end goal to reach and just went for a ride.
As I reached a mile away from my house I realized that I wanted and needed to challenge myself. I was feeling good and the weather was in the 60s and no wind, which made for a perfect ride. I decided to take trip to my friend John’s house. He is a team DOWN ONE member and was home for the day so I thought I would surprise him and show up. John lives two towns over from me and the total distance is 7 miles.
As I reached the half way point to John’s house I started to realize that I can make it there. My average speed to that point was 13.5 MPH. I am no Lance Armstrong, but for me that was good. Remember this is my second time out in around 15 years. I was able to keep a good cadence and not have to expend much energy. I found my rhythm, which made for an easy trip.
When I knocked on John’s door I could see he was surprised to see that I rode over on my bike. 7 miles sounds like a lot, but it really was not. It felt good and I kept hydrated. I only stayed for a few minutes to see his new bike and to ensure our plans to train at Island Beach State Park were still on for tomorrow morning 9:00AM (EST). After filling up my water bottle I was on my bike heading home.
The ride home was definitely harder then the ride there. I found my butt was aching from the bike seat which is not the softest one in the world. This made for an uncomfortable trip home. However, I was able to put the discomfort aside as I focused on getting home.
There was one hill on the way back which took a lot out of me. I kept telling myself “no way you’re beating me. LIVESTRONG! LIVESTRONG!” If someone drove next to me they would have thought I was a crazy man as I also added a few choice words I rather not repeat. On the other side there is a huge downhill ride so it saved me. I was able rest myself as the bike and the hill did all the work. I reached 26 MPH! I was extremely please with my efforts. I surprised myself.
The rest of the ride was good and when I got home I saw Kristy, Caroline and Annabelle in our front yard. Seeing them made it a perfect ending to a challenging ride.
4 weeks ago