Back on the Bike
This morning I finally got a good bike ride in. It is about time. I have not ridden my bike since July 9th. I have been able to do a few spin classes, but that just is not the same.
I have figured that about 100 miles per week is a good goal for me and I have been averaging about 13-16 mph depending on how much climbing I am doing, so that would be about 7 hours of riding per week. If I spread that over three rides, I figured I would two shorter rides during the week at about 30 miles each and then a longer 40+ mile ride on the weekend. So today I had the goal of doing 30 miles in about two hours. I figured a trip up to the Rose Bowl and a few laps would do it.
It was just before 6:00am when I left the house. The sun wasn't up yet, so it was still a little dark out, so I was extra careful about cars and had all my lights on.
One of my favorite sites along the way is when I go under the Arroyo Bridge in Pasadena. You can see the beautiful arches in the photo.
Through the arch you can make out the old Hotel Vista de Arroyo, which is currently the Southern California home of the Nineth Circuit Court of Appeals. I always imagine what it must be like to work there as I ride by.
I did six laps around the Rose Bowl of which the last one was pretty painful. The thing is I never let myself recover on the downhills. I actually work harder. The grade is not that steep, but it is enough that on the downhills I move into my highest gear, lower down into my aero bars or drops and just pump the pedals as fast and as hard as I can, usually getting up to 27-30 mph. My heart rate goes through the roof, but it is just a blast. I can understand why cycling can be so addiciting, when you can have thrills like that. Then I have to go up again, which is not as fun, but I was able to leave it in the big ring today, which made it extra tough, but it hurt in a good way.
The best part is that I made my goal and in good time. I did a total of 30.5 miles, ascending 1040 feet, in two hours and seven minutes. According to my HRM I burned 1573 calories!
I have figured that about 100 miles per week is a good goal for me and I have been averaging about 13-16 mph depending on how much climbing I am doing, so that would be about 7 hours of riding per week. If I spread that over three rides, I figured I would two shorter rides during the week at about 30 miles each and then a longer 40+ mile ride on the weekend. So today I had the goal of doing 30 miles in about two hours. I figured a trip up to the Rose Bowl and a few laps would do it.
It was just before 6:00am when I left the house. The sun wasn't up yet, so it was still a little dark out, so I was extra careful about cars and had all my lights on.
One of my favorite sites along the way is when I go under the Arroyo Bridge in Pasadena. You can see the beautiful arches in the photo.
Through the arch you can make out the old Hotel Vista de Arroyo, which is currently the Southern California home of the Nineth Circuit Court of Appeals. I always imagine what it must be like to work there as I ride by.
I did six laps around the Rose Bowl of which the last one was pretty painful. The thing is I never let myself recover on the downhills. I actually work harder. The grade is not that steep, but it is enough that on the downhills I move into my highest gear, lower down into my aero bars or drops and just pump the pedals as fast and as hard as I can, usually getting up to 27-30 mph. My heart rate goes through the roof, but it is just a blast. I can understand why cycling can be so addiciting, when you can have thrills like that. Then I have to go up again, which is not as fun, but I was able to leave it in the big ring today, which made it extra tough, but it hurt in a good way.
The best part is that I made my goal and in good time. I did a total of 30.5 miles, ascending 1040 feet, in two hours and seven minutes. According to my HRM I burned 1573 calories!
Labels: bike
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