Last night my rear tire blew just before halfway in the Rehoboth time trial. I was bummed, because I think I had a good ride going. For the first 5.7K of the 12.7K course, I was averaging 45.8 kph. This may have been my fastest TT ever. Of course, this was a point to point race, and we may have had a tailwind, as the top two riders averaged around 48 kph, which is just unreal for a local event. The course is almost totally flat. The pavement on the first half was nice and smooth, but after changing wheels, I rode to the end to see what it was like and the second half was a lot bumpier and probably slower. Still though, I think I was on target to complete the course in around 17 minutes flat, versus the fast time of the night which was 16 flat. Next week...
Last weekend's racing really kicked my ass. Earlier in the week I was pretty lifeless, but each day I have gone out on the bike and felt better. Last night my warmup left a lot to be desired, but still I had my HR in the zone (5B, right where I want it in a short TT), and it would have been great to get the full 17 minutes of intensity instead of just 7. After mounting the spare wheel, I tried to ride a little bit hard, but it just wouldn't happen after the let down of a DNF.
This morning I felt OK on my ride around town to loosen up. My June hours are still pretty low, and it will take some ultra-rides to make my goal of 40+ hours for the month. That may not happen. Earlier in the month, most of my riding was racing, and my time on the bike was 21% high intensity (zone 4 or above) as of last week. Now I am back down to my "normal" 17%, so if I can't get my planned total hours in for the month, then I would like to at least make my 6.4 hours of intensity. Therefore, my goal for the weekend is to get in some good, intense training, while avoiding race entry fees. Again, I am not sure if that is going to work out, as with rain in the forecast, maybe I'd have a better chance going to Ninigret on Saturday, or perhaps taking the low-cost option of riding to Wells Ave for the BRC training series on Sunday. That is only $10 and I would save gas, but still be forced to ride no matter the weather.
Well, we are now into real summer. The days are about to start getting shorter. Don't let it pass you by. The hardest part is always just getting your butt out the door. Training and racing are easy; the rest of the stuff that makes up life is always the most difficult to deal with. Everyone has crap to in their life: kids, parents, school, work, laundry, cooking, cleaning, bike maintenance, car b.s., commuting, social affairs, doctors, lawyers, locusts, you name it! Of course some of us have more to do than others. The actual amount of time spent on the bike remains pretty small for almost all of us. I am pretty lucky right now, I know that. Thanks for reading, and best of luck to all of you too. Mofos...
And this is why I argue my case that more time to ride = more happiness :D
ReplyDeleteAt least it's going to be somewhat warm this weekend if it does rain so we shouldn't be coming down with hypothermia.
Zoo -
ReplyDeleteRiding in Woburn is not that great. I would head out of the industrial park via the road where TGIFriday's is. That will eventually take you to Woburn Center. On the other side of Woburn Center is Horn Pond. From there, you can head toward Winchester and Lexington. From Winchester you can also get to the Mystic Valley Parkway area, which has some decent parkway roads with a shoulder, and they are flat. This can be a decent lunch ride. There are a few ways to avoid the traffic around Woburn center, but I don't know the street names. You would just have to experiment.
Generally there is so much industry around there, it is hard to find quiet roads.
You could also just head up Rt 38 toward Tewksbury. Not great, but you can get out for a quick spin.