Wednesday night meeting

When I got a text stating that there was going to be a meeting on Wednesday night, I quickly checked to see if I would be able to attend. With everything going on lately, I have not been able to get out and meet up with everyone for the weekly ride. Once I knew the kids were going to be taken care of, I happily responded that I would be attending. Times were finalized. I did a quick once over on the bike and hoped it would be good to go.

There was possibly going to be three of us riding, but one might not be able to make it. I was not feeling too good the leading up to the ride. I hoped I would have a little in the tank to hang on, but I knew if it was only two of us the pace would be only what I could handle. The more riders you get, the more difficult it is to keep the pace down.

I didn't have a lot of motivation to get out of the house, but knowing I had someone waiting on me helped push me out the door. I was tried and not feeling right, but I really needed to get a ride in. Brian met me down the road from my house and we headed over to the wait area. We paused at the meeting place waiting to see if Kurt was going to make it. Just when we had thought he was not going to make it and an easier route was in mind, he came in to view and shortly after we were off..........heading for the hills. Ugh.

We started out with mostly the same route I took a few weeks ago when a race was rained out. I didn't feel bad when we started. I had a little punch in the legs for a few short climbs, but the punch didn't last long. The legs were feeling heavy and weak. The big problem was that we had not even hit the big hills yet. I downed a Honey Stinger gel hoping to wake the legs up. It seemed to work for some sections, but when we went up, there was just no power. I could climb, but not at a very good pace.

They waited for me at the top of the climbs. They didn't seem to mind, but it bothered me a lot. I would hop on the wheel as quickly as possible and try to keep them moving at the pace they wanted to ride. Some hills were better than others, but none of them were anything that I had hoped for. I know I have been struggling climbing at speed, but this was even worse than I am used to. As soon as it leveled off some I was rolling along at a good pace. I was happy with the speeds we could carry considering how bad I felt like I was climbing.

Maybe some of it is just in my head. Maybe they were just climbing really good too. They tried to tell me I didn't climb that bad, but it sure didn't feel like it. It could be that I am getting quicker and just expected to climb stronger than I did, but was still faster than earlier this year. It is hard to tell. I have to do some segments in Strava to compare.


Overall I was not that upset with myself. I was not feeling good and still rode fairly good. We put in 42 miles and averaged 18 mph. I think the average was a little higher, but we slowed down at the end of the ride to chat some as the group was splitting up and as we went through town. Now I just hope the legs can recover good enough for the race this weekend. I can only hope to be able to put in a good effort to feel good about myself. Not sure results will be too much to be concerned about. It all depends on who all shows up. The way it sounds, I will be at least chasing Todd and Steve around trying to see how long I can keep them from dropping me. I betting it won't take long.

If you are not doing anything on Sunday, head on over to Cherokee Park to join in on the fun. I know it should be a blast for me. Riding on recovering legs and I just put on some hydraulic disc brakes that are squealing like crazy. I sure hope I can fix that before then or it will be no question where I am riding. The housing is on the short side, but hey it is working. I have a new housing and bleed kid ordered. I figure I will make it just a little longer as soon as I can.