Thursday evening ride… No run necessary!

I got home last evening not knowing what I wanted to do on the bike and whether or not I wanted to run afterward. Wednesday’s power was way down from the big ride on Tuesday night. I had just upgraded my free Endomodo to the paid Pro version so that I can follow routes – and compete against previous times I’ve ridden the route in real time. I also programmed in my 100km route for next Sunday because I really don’t have a good grasp of the area anymore – now I can follow the red line with turn by turn directions. Very cool – and I won’t ever have to worry about getting dropped on the Tuesday ride, hoping for a slower rider to hang with to help me back with directions.

I picked my best time on my 16 mile route earlier when I transferred the route to my phone from my lap top so I’d have a good baseline to start with (it’s a lot easier than it sounds, it takes about twenty seconds, they really thought of everything).

When I walked out the door at ten to five, it had just stopped sprinkling maybe twenty minutes earlier, I still didn’t know how it was going to go, I just didn’t feel as giddy as I normally do before a good ride – that’s about the best way to describe it.

I hit the “countdown” button and did my fifteen second warmup – and I was off. I started in an easy gear and worked up to a cadence around 100 and it was just too easy, I shifted up, then again and again…I was back. I ticked off the first mile in 2:56, no wind – I ticked off the second in 2:58 and the third in 2:48. I got lucky at a busy intersection that I normally have to stop for and thundered through at full speed. Fourth mile in 2:36 and I’m smiling now – it’s on. I got stopped at my normal left turn light and my auto pause didn’t kick in so mile five was in 3:06. The wind started picking up and I was headed into it, add to that some trouble making it across three busy lanes of traffic for my second and last left of the trip and 6 and 7 were at 3:08 and 3:03 respectively. I was back on it for mile 8 at 2:56. Traffic lights and a wheel bender of a train track crossing slowed 9 and 10 down to 3:12 and 3:18, but the sun started peaking through the clouds – I looked at my time for the first time into mile ten and I was just over a minute ahead of my best time. I put the hammer down, mile 10 would be my last mile over 3:00. Mile 11 was 2:48, 12 was 3:00 even because of a light, 13 – despite a stop at that busy intersection was still 2:45 and 14 was my fastest at 2:36 (almost 25 mph). 15 and 16 were 2:53 and 2:57, As I finally passed my driveway, grinning ear to ear, I’d beaten my best previous time for that track by just a touch less than three minutes.

My final average speed was 20.5, with stop lights, stop signs and one gnarly train track crossing – for those of you who would suggest I bunny-hop it, that’s a great idea but the pavement leading up to it is just too choppy – I can’t get the speed needed to clear that distance, but that’s a good idea for sure.

Endomondo Challenge update:

Cycling Challenge: 566 of 15,359

Calorie Challenge: 1,200 of 22,970

I’ll be dodging rain today, so I’m heading out for my first morning ride of the season today – this one will be slower, I may even take the fat wheel bike out to take the pressure to perform off.  Tomorrow promises to be perfect (if a little chilly), sunny and 53 so it’ll be perfect for a nice long day