However, last Sunday I did feel inspired watching my friend Jamie at a local tri.
Seeing him and all the others riding made me want to pedal. Something about the whoosh of all those bike wheels going by makes me feel a little giddy =)
Today, Jeff briefly went to work to tie up any loose ends, then took the day off to do the July metric with me. We decided that laps of Conanicut Island would be our least trafficy option and the shady parts would be occasional relief from the sun. I was anxious to get the metric done today as it was a coolish, dry day and muggy weather is due again soon.
Jeff hasn't done enough rides this summer and trailed along behind me for two laps before deciding to skip the last one to avoid serious pain later. I pushed on and managed to finish the metric distance though I got much slower toward the end. I got hungry and was low on fluid and the wind picked up a lot. As I was heading out Beavertail the third time the wind was getting so strong I was only concentrating on turning over the crank and not as aware of the road as I should have been until a deer was suddenly right beside me, pivoting away on its back legs to leap back into the woods. I guess it hadn't smelled or heard me coming as I was downwind of it. I'm not sure who was more startled! It was actually the third deer sighting of the day. On the first lap, we saw a doe and small, spotted fawn.
Here's a view to the west from Beavertail Point showing the bright, sunny day.
And one of Jeff with the Beavertail Light in the background. It's not quite as picturesque as usual as there is scaffolding on it at the moment.
Elevation Profile:
Speed Profile:
July Metric Stats
62.47 miles
4:14 hours
14.7 mph average...going in the wrong direction =(
3,289' elevation gain
1 nutty power bar and 1 bottle of Gatorade 1 bottle of citrus Nuun for fuel
7 comments:
Nothing like heat and sun ( and working too much) to push me into a slump too...and nothing like seeing someone else who has fought through that to motivate me. I guess that's why I'm watching constant reruns of the TdF so I totally understand!
Good job at keeping up with the metric rides and getting back out there on the road.
By the way... who is that goof riding in the pointy helmet :)
Yet again that looks lovely. I've only just realised that you're on an island though, (which explains why there's so many fantastic pictures of the sea)
I think this means you've won Trios challange!
first again! glad i'm not the only one who's already looking forward to autumn ....pls don't tell the weather gods though ;)
Beautiful pics as usual! I love Conanicut (Jamestown) Island and are looking forward to riding with you there again sometime.
I notice you left out the race route's climb though ;^)
Glad to hear you motored through your slump - it's tough out there between the weather and the traffic.
Suitcase, Please come pull me around Jamestown soon ;) You definitely need to ride it before the race this fall, some of the pavement is worse than ever and you'll want to know your lines beforehand! I did skip Hamilton (the race hill) because I needed the distance Highland gave me for the metric in 3 laps. Highland has some rollers and a very steep bit, so it wasn't really any easier ;) Look forward to riding with you soon!
Well done getting the century done despite the slump. Great determination and you are (without checking) probably the most consistent century rider in Trio's challenge? I am still restricted to 2.5 hours of riding maximum at any one given time and I can't possibly squeeze a century into 2.5 hours ... :-(
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