It Didn’t Feel that Fast

Our 9 riders eventually broke into two groups this morning.  There was the fast group.  They survived the climbs on Old County Road with energy to spare.  Then, there were the rest of us.  With hearts pounding and lungs screaming for air, we slowed down just a bit and watched the tail lights disappear into the distance.  It really wasn’t that bad, but it happened.

At the end of the day, I was surprised.  I had my fastest ride of the year on our normal route and achieved the fastest times this year for me on 5 different Strava segments.  It didn’t feel that fast, but I did keep the pressure up and really didn’t let myself slow down too much.  There were spots where there was still some energy that was left on reserve.

The most fun was on my little sprint up out of Round Bay near the end of the ride.  I entered that small hill third in line, and kicked it hard just before my starting mark.  I climbed the hill hard in a high gear and noticed that Marcus was right on my tail.  I kept the pressure up and actually accelerated at the top of the hill.  Marcus was drafting tight to my wheel all the way up, and after he caught his breath he commented that I always use that spot to start a sprint.  Yep, I sure do.  I erased 1 second from my best time this year, and I’m only 1 second behind my personal best on that short segment.  That record will fall.  Will it be in May?  I hope so!

This Ride: 21 miles
Month: 39.8 miles
2013: 1985.1 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 21,758 miles