Sixteen into the Wind.

Yesterday was my long ride. The longest before my race. Sixty miles of road bike monotony. Just me, the bike, and the road. I put down about 600 calories and 60 oz of liquids during the ride, which included a spectacular cloudburst at mile 18 that meant I was riding wet for 42 miles. I averaged 15.9 mph for the whole thing. And I hit 56 miles, the length of my race, at 3:28:15 or so, which is exactly where I want to be. 16 miles per hour.

The whole ride out was into the wind, and marking time was a challenge but good. A little uphill, along the banks of the river. A little into the wind. Out at the turnaround I nearly got a little lost as I ran out of trail and rode on streets. But I figured it out and maintained a good speed regardless. As time wore on, it became more difficult to keep pace, as my legs burned. But I did it.

A lot of stuff goes through your head on a 60 mile ride. I don’t ride with music or anything, so it’s just me and the road. One thing is, WHY THE FUCK WON’T MY GODDAMN FRONT DERAILLEUR WORK LIKE IT’S SUPPOSED TO. That lasted about 14 miles. I’m taking it in to put it into race condition and I have confidence in my local bike shop.

But mostly, long-distance cycling is contemplative. I am mostly on flat ground, so I’m not pushing myself from a cardiovascular perspective really hard. It’s mostly about the slow burn of about 60 calories a mile. I’m feeling capable. Ready. Strong. I’m still a little heavy, but that’s just what it is. Now I have two weeks until the race. Hopefully Hurricane Irma stays away from the East Coast, and I can get it in.