Everything came together for the perfect riding day.
I
drove home thinking how I was rested, the weather was perfect, I’d been eating
really well and my head was back in the cycling game. I mounted the bike planning to ride east on
Pekin and continuing out to Amish country before turning around. The only thing that could stop me would be
leg cramps and I’d decided to combat them by taking it easy on the way out and
holding it in check until the forty-mile mark before seeing what I still had in the
tank.
Training
should be part of a plan with some goal at the end. I know that I’m targeting a lot of riding in
the month of August and that this riding will be all about a comfortable pace
for many hours. I’ll be taking breaks
for pictures, to meet people and write things, and to make sure my neck and
shoulders can handle the all-day grind for two weeks. My training therefore, should mirror the
event.
I
rode comfortably into the wind for almost two hours and finally stopped and
dismounted at the half-way point. It was
a beautiful point to stop with fantastic views to the east of the farms that
made up this part of Geauga county. With
blue skies overhead and the smell of fresh cut grass in the air, I was in no
particular hurry to get back on the bike and ride. I stretched and tried to work the kinks out
of my neck and shoulders and noted that my quads still felt good. As I hopped back on my bike, I remembered that
the return ride would be primarily with the wind at my back. Sweet.
I
completed the ride in three and a half hours with no leg cramping and the
feeling that I had another hour in me, at least. I made a large, delicious smoothie and pulled
another generous portion of the mixed salad from my Tupper ware container for
what became a thoroughly filling and tasty meal. It was a very encouraging ride and day.
Bike duration: 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Training Heart
Rate: 120 bpm.Calories burned during workout: 2950.
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