Milestones

Today's ride was interesting. After becoming depressed after the end of the Tour, I decided to ride my bike. After yesterday's brutality in Babler and Wildwood, I decreed an "easy day". Chesterfield Valley, nice and flat. Lots of wind, though. Starting out, my legs were creaky and sore. I puttered around, to and fro, for about an hour. All signs pointed to ending the ride. Oddly, my legs had at some point started to feel pretty energetic. So, signs notwithstanding, I decided to do a little "time trial" on the Chesterfield levee trail. Minimal pedestrian traffic, which was good. Nice even wind, not too strong and not gusty. After resetting my computer, I set off with the hammer down. 4 miles later I slammed on the brakes, turned around as quick as can be, and set off the other way. There was some suffering, but nothing extreme. Lot of breathing, maybe a little drool, some burning legs. 8 miles later, I checked the computer...20.3 mph! That isn't fast by any means, but for me it's nice...I like that 20mph number. I did about 19 into the wind, and hovered between 21-22 with the wind. Mostly a crosswind, so it didn't make a huge difference, but it was noticeable.

Hooray! 20mph for 8 miles, and I didn't even fall over at the end. In fact I felt pretty good. But I had laundry to do and groceries to buy, so I headed for home...

As anticipated, the ride did wonders for my Post-Tour Depression Syndrome (PTDS). The planned "easy day" didn't quite work out. If I can hit 20mph now, only a few months after beginning my "speed training" and still far from my previous fitness level...I have high hopes for the future.