And Now The Taper
Finally the weather cooperated for my last big training weekend, well except for the wind...
Friday night Eileen & I got a feel for what it's like riding in the dark. Around 9:00 p.m. we switched on our bike lights, and rode in the headlights of Tom's van, while he & Jimi followed us for about 24 miles. That is going to take a little getting used to! I found it harder to ride in a straight line for some reason, small bumps and pot holes look huge, and when making a turn before the van you loose the headlights momentarily which is an odd sensation even with the bike lights.
Saturday I did two shorter rides. One in the morning & one in the afternoon, each around 28 - 29 miles.
Sunday was a simulation day. Eileen & I leapfrogged for 60 miles while Jimi drove the non-rider up the road 6 miles in true RAAM fashion. We rode at a good pace without killing ourselves, and feel comfortable with exchanges and getting off & on the bike frequently. Later in the day I went out for about another hour.
This is the first Memorial Day that I remember having good weather. It seems every year on Memorial Day I have the urge to do what I call "The Bong Ride" which is nothing more than a destination of Bong Recreational Park. There are a couple of different routes but Tom & I rode the shorter route of 45 miles yesterday. I wanted a recovery ride, but had to work pretty hard into the wind. On the way home though we were really able to cruise. On a couple of stretches I even stopped pedaling to see how far I could go with the tail wind..what fun.
It was a great training weekend with great weather to boot...now I can begin to taper feeling more confident...maybe.
Friday night Eileen & I got a feel for what it's like riding in the dark. Around 9:00 p.m. we switched on our bike lights, and rode in the headlights of Tom's van, while he & Jimi followed us for about 24 miles. That is going to take a little getting used to! I found it harder to ride in a straight line for some reason, small bumps and pot holes look huge, and when making a turn before the van you loose the headlights momentarily which is an odd sensation even with the bike lights.
Saturday I did two shorter rides. One in the morning & one in the afternoon, each around 28 - 29 miles.
Sunday was a simulation day. Eileen & I leapfrogged for 60 miles while Jimi drove the non-rider up the road 6 miles in true RAAM fashion. We rode at a good pace without killing ourselves, and feel comfortable with exchanges and getting off & on the bike frequently. Later in the day I went out for about another hour.
This is the first Memorial Day that I remember having good weather. It seems every year on Memorial Day I have the urge to do what I call "The Bong Ride" which is nothing more than a destination of Bong Recreational Park. There are a couple of different routes but Tom & I rode the shorter route of 45 miles yesterday. I wanted a recovery ride, but had to work pretty hard into the wind. On the way home though we were really able to cruise. On a couple of stretches I even stopped pedaling to see how far I could go with the tail wind..what fun.
It was a great training weekend with great weather to boot...now I can begin to taper feeling more confident...maybe.
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