Three hours in the saddle...

Saturday, January 19, 2013

As predicted, the temperatures began to rise and by noon, it was hovering around 50.  I wore a long-sleeved cotton t-shirt under my cycling jersey and an extra pair of socks to start the ride, but was nervous that I’d get cold so I slipped gloves and a hat into my jersey pockets and hit the road for what I hoped would be a long ride.

It was extremely windy, as it always seems to be on unseasonably warm winter days.  I began riding into it because I didn’t want to face it at the end of the ride when I’d hoped to be tired.  I headed for my Pekin Road course, knowing I could go indefinitely in that direction.  I managed the first couple of hours feeling comfortable and strong with many thoughts about Lance and the thousands of hours he must have spent on a bike.  As I headed into my third hour of riding though, I started to experience all the aches that always come with that amount of time in the saddle.

I suppose I’ll just keep building up my time and hope that the discomfort will subside as I prepare for Tour Ohio.  I think the key will be stopping every couple of hours and spending some time just walking around and stretching my neck and shoulders.  I’m hoping to make the Tour something of a picturesque ride almost requiring me to walk around in areas where I’ll be taking pictures and logging data.  I won’t put in as many miles in a day if I follow such a routine, but I’ll be much more comfortable…which is never over-rated.

As I neared home, my feet were getting cold.  It was going on four and the temperature had probably dropped closer to forty than fifty.  I made my way through the park and covered the last three miles in moderate discomfort in my neck and shoulders.  My legs were strong though with no sign of cramping.  The trainer had kept me in excellent shape and the previous week with two outdoor rides hadn’t hurt either.  The wind made life fun because with all my planning, the final three miles were directly into it and it was blowing so hard that I found myself getting out of the saddle to maintain 11-12 mph on simple uphill’s.  I’m sure it made me a better person, though and of course I’m ashamed for cursing it as I rode. 

Bike duration: Three hours.

Training Heart Rate:  120 bpm.

Calories burned during workout:  2550.