Hit and Miss
A real hit and miss weekend. Saturday was warm. Not summertime warm but, considering what we have had this winter, starting a morning ride at roughly 50 degrees was a real pleasure.
Our new team kits had arrived Friday morning and Giuseppe brought them along to the ride. The three of us threw them on and rolled out of Columbia in style by heading onto the bluffs. Everything was good as we headed SE toward Waterloo. The plan was to head to Maeystown and as we headed out of Waterloo.
Once we exited Rte 3 and turned onto Kaskaskia, KK and Bushy Prairie the riding became decidedly more difficult. These roads bend and twist multiple times, alternating a headwind with a somewhat easier crosswind from our right side. I was feeling good and pedaling efficiently so the winds did not affect me too much. I still had to do some work when we headed due west but it was a day that I was more than happy to do the dirty work and let Giuseppe and Aaron sit on my wheel.
We made our usual stop at the Sweet Shoppe for some refueling and then continued on with what we knew would be a long grind north back to Columbia along the still barren, dirt farmlands. The three of us rolled into the parking lot at the Marketplace, slightly cooked and plenty hungry after a hard day in the saddle.
Sunday, Giuseppe and I had decided to ride from Meramec. Thanks to work issues for me, we chose to meet at 10:15 instead of the usual 8:30. Conditions were quite different and not in a good way. After the warm sunny conditions on Saturday, thirty-five degrees and cloudy were a rude awakening. My heavy legs were even more unpleasant.
Really bad legs on Sunday, after a good ride on Saturday, seems to have become a trend. Maybe it is old age or maybe it is simply a case of "winter fitness". I'm hoping this goes away in a couple weeks.
The only consolation was that Giuseppe was also complaining of really tired legs when he arrived. That didn't make the riding any easier, even if I don't think we rode all that hard. Every hill and roller felt much larger than it should have.
Basically, the ride sucked. Or, should I say, I felt sucked for the whole ride. I really need to get back in the habit of eating and drinking properly on these longer rides. From Webster Groves onward, I was in a mini-bonk and while I enjoy riding with Giuseppe I was kind of happy when we went our separate way toward home and I could just cruise home at a leisurely pace in my half-dazed state.
Our new team kits had arrived Friday morning and Giuseppe brought them along to the ride. The three of us threw them on and rolled out of Columbia in style by heading onto the bluffs. Everything was good as we headed SE toward Waterloo. The plan was to head to Maeystown and as we headed out of Waterloo.
Once we exited Rte 3 and turned onto Kaskaskia, KK and Bushy Prairie the riding became decidedly more difficult. These roads bend and twist multiple times, alternating a headwind with a somewhat easier crosswind from our right side. I was feeling good and pedaling efficiently so the winds did not affect me too much. I still had to do some work when we headed due west but it was a day that I was more than happy to do the dirty work and let Giuseppe and Aaron sit on my wheel.
We made our usual stop at the Sweet Shoppe for some refueling and then continued on with what we knew would be a long grind north back to Columbia along the still barren, dirt farmlands. The three of us rolled into the parking lot at the Marketplace, slightly cooked and plenty hungry after a hard day in the saddle.
Sunday, Giuseppe and I had decided to ride from Meramec. Thanks to work issues for me, we chose to meet at 10:15 instead of the usual 8:30. Conditions were quite different and not in a good way. After the warm sunny conditions on Saturday, thirty-five degrees and cloudy were a rude awakening. My heavy legs were even more unpleasant.
Really bad legs on Sunday, after a good ride on Saturday, seems to have become a trend. Maybe it is old age or maybe it is simply a case of "winter fitness". I'm hoping this goes away in a couple weeks.
The only consolation was that Giuseppe was also complaining of really tired legs when he arrived. That didn't make the riding any easier, even if I don't think we rode all that hard. Every hill and roller felt much larger than it should have.
Basically, the ride sucked. Or, should I say, I felt sucked for the whole ride. I really need to get back in the habit of eating and drinking properly on these longer rides. From Webster Groves onward, I was in a mini-bonk and while I enjoy riding with Giuseppe I was kind of happy when we went our separate way toward home and I could just cruise home at a leisurely pace in my half-dazed state.
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