Death March with Jay
Date: July 3
Mileage: 26
Ride type: Road
Bike: Blueridge
Temp: 93, hot, humid
June mileage: 26
Year to date: 764
Terrible!...or at least Feeling Terribly! that is the remaining sentiment from yesterday's ride north of Lexington, Ky during the holiday travels. friends from the DC area are visiting family in Lex, and we try to get a peek of them when they're in town. this time, ya dicho Jay brought his bikes down, a Trek road bike and a Klein mt. bike. on this here blog i've commented several times that, when it comes down to it, i'm fat. i like to ride. i like to swim. i'll lift weights. i play tennis. but i am better at eating than at exericising. i paint this portait to contrast with Jay. he's a VERY nice guy, but Jay is abt 5'10'', and weighs maybe 150, probably less. he's a stick, or at least a stick with leg muscles. he has a long history of cycling, some road, some mtn. biking. after the fact he related to me that during the fast rides, he had problems keeping up on the flats sometimes, but he could always climb better than the group, thereby being able to keep up. sounds like some Spanish Tour climber, doesn't it?
this exposition sets up my experience on yesterday's pleasant jaunt through the 'Bluegrass', as the region is known around Lexington, home of the horse industry. i've read that the topography and soil content (heavy lime) is perfect for horses' constitutions, and there are lots of small roads to ride.
Jay had been out Saturday for a 45 miler, so we planned on a shorter 25 miler due to the heat, which would be creeping up to an unpleasant mid-90s by midday. hopefully i've given adequate background, b/c now the ride begins in earnest, or at least 40 minutes in, in earnest.
at a 'T' in the road, 40 minutes in, i look at my computer to find that our average speed is 17.3mph. OK, problem. i don't put average speeds on the blog, but they're not as fast as they used to be. "Back in the day", i could put in a respectable 17mph avspeed. my hilly 85miler from Louisville to Lexington i averaged almost 16. now, though, with many of my miles as commuting miles i just don't go as fast. in fact, with the lack of miles (my fault) in my legs, i don't go fast at all. so, when i saw '17.3' on the computer, over 'rolling terrain', i knew i was in for it. much like my wife's hometown terrain, the Bluegrass is rolling and hilly. it's certainly not like some 12mile climb out West, but you can never get a good rhythm.
by an hour in, i was first feeling the effects of the pace, and now the heat. 90+, humid, unpleasant. not terribly hot but not great. finally, as we turned home, i found my third factor, the hot, southerly (northerly, coming from the south?) headwind. that was the final nail in the coffin. the only thing that can be said was that i was overheating, and it was some of the worst 40 minutes of cycling in life. staring at the white line, feeling my head swim, stopping herenthere to pour water on my head, climbing aclivities at infintesimal paces. Death March.
That said, this morning i can say the ride was a success. good company- Jay was able to ride ahead herenthere so as to not sit there and suffer with me-, good scenary, nothing broken, nothing permanent.we saw lots of these.
a good day, but could've been a better day with some previous efforts
Mileage: 26
Ride type: Road
Bike: Blueridge
Temp: 93, hot, humid
June mileage: 26
Year to date: 764
Terrible!...or at least Feeling Terribly! that is the remaining sentiment from yesterday's ride north of Lexington, Ky during the holiday travels. friends from the DC area are visiting family in Lex, and we try to get a peek of them when they're in town. this time, ya dicho Jay brought his bikes down, a Trek road bike and a Klein mt. bike. on this here blog i've commented several times that, when it comes down to it, i'm fat. i like to ride. i like to swim. i'll lift weights. i play tennis. but i am better at eating than at exericising. i paint this portait to contrast with Jay. he's a VERY nice guy, but Jay is abt 5'10'', and weighs maybe 150, probably less. he's a stick, or at least a stick with leg muscles. he has a long history of cycling, some road, some mtn. biking. after the fact he related to me that during the fast rides, he had problems keeping up on the flats sometimes, but he could always climb better than the group, thereby being able to keep up. sounds like some Spanish Tour climber, doesn't it?
this exposition sets up my experience on yesterday's pleasant jaunt through the 'Bluegrass', as the region is known around Lexington, home of the horse industry. i've read that the topography and soil content (heavy lime) is perfect for horses' constitutions, and there are lots of small roads to ride.
Jay had been out Saturday for a 45 miler, so we planned on a shorter 25 miler due to the heat, which would be creeping up to an unpleasant mid-90s by midday. hopefully i've given adequate background, b/c now the ride begins in earnest, or at least 40 minutes in, in earnest.
at a 'T' in the road, 40 minutes in, i look at my computer to find that our average speed is 17.3mph. OK, problem. i don't put average speeds on the blog, but they're not as fast as they used to be. "Back in the day", i could put in a respectable 17mph avspeed. my hilly 85miler from Louisville to Lexington i averaged almost 16. now, though, with many of my miles as commuting miles i just don't go as fast. in fact, with the lack of miles (my fault) in my legs, i don't go fast at all. so, when i saw '17.3' on the computer, over 'rolling terrain', i knew i was in for it. much like my wife's hometown terrain, the Bluegrass is rolling and hilly. it's certainly not like some 12mile climb out West, but you can never get a good rhythm.
by an hour in, i was first feeling the effects of the pace, and now the heat. 90+, humid, unpleasant. not terribly hot but not great. finally, as we turned home, i found my third factor, the hot, southerly (northerly, coming from the south?) headwind. that was the final nail in the coffin. the only thing that can be said was that i was overheating, and it was some of the worst 40 minutes of cycling in life. staring at the white line, feeling my head swim, stopping herenthere to pour water on my head, climbing aclivities at infintesimal paces. Death March.
That said, this morning i can say the ride was a success. good company- Jay was able to ride ahead herenthere so as to not sit there and suffer with me-, good scenary, nothing broken, nothing permanent.we saw lots of these.
a good day, but could've been a better day with some previous efforts
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