The Sun Shines Again!

Despite being at a traning seminar last week, I managed to get in some good riding time while getting a healthy dose of Vitamin D in the process. I felt naked riding in only a jersey and shorts on Friday and Saturday, but it was a fantastic feeling.

I rode the Silver Comet on Friday after our training let out, and was reminded why I don't ever ride the Silver Comet anymore. Sure, it was convenient and a good steady workout, but I missed the hills, quiet roads, and the smell of cow poop and poultry farms that I have become accustomed to.

On Saturday I rode a combination of FS roads and pavement, which I call the Gates Chapel to Crandall Loop. I think it is the same loop that was used for Southern Cross a couple of years ago, but I climbed Potato Patch Mtn, instead of descending it. I was five minutes faster up the 5.5 mile climb at a lower average HR than I was a couple of months ago, so that was promising. Feeling the warm air blasting me on the downhills was so rejuvenating. The second half of the ride was pretty mellow, as my bike decided to self-destruct a bit on me and I couldn't push it on the downhills. Apparently, I had worn my bottom derailleur pulley down so much at Heritage Park that the chain actually fell off of it and was running through the cage next to the pulley. Of course it didn't take long to wear through the carbon on the cage, so now I need to replace it, or find one in the junk pile at the shop to cannibalize. (insert cha-ching cash register sound here)

Sunday we managed to sneak in a road ride before the rain hit..ha ha! I fear I'm becoming too much of a roadie these days, but it allows me to train a lot more specifically and the post-ride clean-up is generally a lot less hassle. I'm looking forward to another good week, though I can't say I was thrilled to see snow flakes when I left for work this morning. 70 degrees again by Wednesday...whoo hoo!