3rd Training Day - My Longest Ride Ever...For Now

Nine more days until it is officially spring in Ohio, yet mother nature could not wait. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping. and the snow nearly melted all away. Like a bunch of bears coming out of a winter long hibernation in search of what they lacked during their 3 month stupor, Clevelanders flocked to the parks. Instead of food, which they have had entirely too much of since the snow began to fall, Clevelanders were in search of sunshine and warm, fresh air. After a winter in Cleveland, one begins to miss these things so much that a Californian could not begin to comprehend. They are so spoiled.

I did not go in to work today just so I could be a part of this migration of people from indoors to outdoors. My goal was to ride 30 miles in under 2 hours.

I felt confident from the beginning. A man on his Ducati was waiting to pull out onto the road. As I rode by I asked if he wanted to race. I think he thought I was joking. For the first 15 miles my average speed was 14.6 mph. A little slow but I felt strong after I took a quick rest to rehydrate and soak in the sun.

The second half felt wonderful. I cruised through miles 15 to 25 averaging close to 20 mph. As I was coming upon an intersection, a couple of fellow riders came onto the road in front of me. I came upon them fast and was not sure if I should pass or not. I decided to lay back and observe. I noticed one of the riders pedaled with his knees out at a 45 degree angle away from his bike because his large midsection was in the way of his thighs as they pumped up and down. The other man was very fit and looked to be no younger than 60 years of age. The road was flat and they were cruising at around 19 mph. I decided to pass.

Let me say now that in an activity where experience is of tremendous value, I have learned to never underestimate someone with grey hair. I can thank my grandparents for that lesson. I immediately assumed that this older gentleman had put in countless more hours on his bicycle than me and was therefore many times wiser than me. In an effort to not be caught by this man, all I had going for me was my youth. I have also learned that youth is often no match for wisdom and experience.

I was right. But, I held him off for at least a mile and stayed close to him for the remaining few miles. It did not bother me to be passed by such a rider. However, it was the fat man that was drafting behind him that irked me as he rode by. My competitive nature pushed me hard to keep up with them and I finished the 30 miles in 1 hour and 52 minutes of riding time. My longest ride ever. However, I don't think that will be true for much longer.