No, I didn't overindulge on cheese and ice cream for breakfast, though that sounds like a pretty irresistible temptation right about now. This morning I revisited a favorite ride that I haven't been on since the end of March, which was a raw ride in the low 40s.
Today's adventure stood in stark contrast, with temperatures in the low to mid 70s, and farmers' fields newly planted with corn and soybeans. With the wind coming from the right (wrong?) direction, freshly fertilized fields wafted the intense odor of liquified cow manure, and livestock were out in abundance.
I've been really working on pacing, trying hard not to preserve fuel early on and strategically spend those reserves when it's most needed, like the 1/4 mile section of 12% grade on Ledyard Rd. that comes at the 24 mile point of the ride. Timing the gel and powerbar are critical to the pacing, and fueling up 10 or 15 minutes before a tough climb really does make a difference. I've recently been reading Serious Cycling by Edmund Burke, and I'm trying to retain some of the many training tips he offers, such as working toward a rounder stroke, something that I believe will help to reduce the heavy leg issue I've been having of late after several days of all-out cycling. (This winter I'm going to try one-legged cycling on the trainer to work more on improving rounded pedal strokes.)
Midway through the 12% climb, I had a most annoying loose dog encounter, which forced me off the bike at the worst possible time. I hollered "Please call your dog!" repeatedly, which finally resulted in a lame, ambivalent coaxing which accomplished nothing. I've had encounters at this same property before, and while I know that this is not a very highly trafficked stretch of road, it still seems pretty inconsiderate of the owners.
Without a doubt, the highlight of today's ride was the descent on Myers Rd. This section of road is relatively straight, with a sizable drop, as you can see by the closeup. Just check out those contour lines! When I last attacked this downhill, I clocked in at 44.1 mph, but today I broke my bike speed record, with an official 50.0 mph. I know, the pros routinely top 70 mph on those crazy alpine descents, but hey, 50 mph in the finger lakes is nothing to sneeze at. I had a bit of a tailwind and a good tuck, and since I know the road pretty well, I was very comfortable about knowing all the twists and turns. At a certain point my lower lip started flapping and my cheeks puffed out, so I knew I was getting some good speed, but that was more than I could have hoped for. Of course not everyone in my household shares this view, but as I pointed out to the family during the Cornell Physics dept. gyroscope demonstration later in the day, the gyroscopic effect really holds true and this wasn't really dangerous. In fact, I felt downright giddy! I love the fact that my trusty Garmin told me that I topped out at 50.0, not 49.9, and not 50.1. Perfect!
I spent the rest of my ride trying to get my average speed up, while battling a moderate headwind. It was a no-nonsense haul back through Lansing, and the average speed of 19.2 was far better than the 18.1 from back in March, though there's no accounting for wind speed. Still, I feel like this ride and the relatively quick recovery afterwards is showing me that all of this training is really paying off.
Stats:
Distance: 44.91 miles
Avg. speed: 19.2 mph
Vertical ascent: 2406 ft.
Calories burned: 3197 kcal
Max. speed: 50.0 mph
Time: 2:23:22
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