Suffering...

Well, there is a reason why I am squinting in the photo -- it was bright as heck! Amazing that I even did the ride, considering I almost coughed up a lung last night! I have battling something all week -- a cold or the pollen. I knew I probably shouldn't ride, but Kevin showed up, and Eddie rode 29 miles from his house. I couldn't let them down. I did finally change my cranks from 172.5mm to 175mm -- what a difference!!! I know that 2.5mm doesn't sound like much (1/10th of an inch), but the extra leverage definitely helped! Not only could I sprint/climb better, but I could really tell the difference sitting in the saddle -- so much more power. I think Eddie could even see the effect. Other than being drained from being sick, I felt like my old self again. Plus, I didn't spin out -- I always felt that I had more power available.

We cut the ride short (26 miles). Kevin had family obligations, Eddie had to ride the 29 miles back home, and I didn't want to make things worse on myself than I probably already had. It was a great ride, albeit chilly and windy. Is the hot weather coming?

Finally -- warmer weather!

The ride Sunday was good. As Will would say, Chris dropped the hammer from the parking lot. Maybe it was the warm weather, maybe it was just trying to up the average speed, but he was on a mission. It was Chris, John, myself, and Alan. The problem with the ride is that the hills definitely make the ride appear to be slower than it really is. Nothing wrong with that -- it is just that the numbers don't seem to correlate to the effort we put in.

Good day, cold ride

Chris and I were the only ones to ride. It was COLD in the morning! My hands were numb. Of course, it was finally warming up when we finished. We decided to take the obligatory post-ride photo. Ok, let me get this straight. I understand (sort of) closing my eyes every time I have a photo taken inside due to the flash... But OUTSIDE?!!! What the heck?!!

PLEASE NOTE: The shop ride will be starting at 9AM next week.

BLUE's Clues

I met Eddie for the pre-ride breakfast at Waffle House. I was still wiped out from the night before. We did the ride, but I will admit that I was dragging. It was a gorgeous day and perfect weather. I really had a great time, and I am glad I got out. We all rode our BLUE bikes, so we should now be called "BLUE's clues" (or "clueless"). Afterward, we hit Mellow Mushroom for pizza as a break from the regular of Mexican.

Cold, cold ride!

It was my own fault. I wore what I thought was plenty of clothing -- base layer, jersey, vest, arm warmers, and winter bibs. All of those items were perfect. However, before we left I was questioning whether I should wear warmer gloves and knee warmers. I decided against both -- big mistake! The ride never got much above 40 degrees. Felt slight rain with about 8 miles left, but luckily it passed. Chris and Sarah were the brave souls today. Sarah decided not to do the race today (which is why Eddie did not ride), so she made it out. We had a great time, but it was definitely cold! It is now 5PM and I am still trying to warm up. Going out for pizza after the ride was worth it, though! All I could think about during the ride was, "only 25 more miles until food... only 22.5 more miles until food..." HAHA

Should we ride?

Everyone kept talking about the rain yesterday, so I was pretty confident that we wouldn't ride. The main players had already said that they weren't riding. However, I decided to go to the shop to clean up from the crazy last few days.

I settled into my chair in the office to check emails and start working. At 10, I heard the door chime (the door was open). Greg was there with Shawn ready to ride... I decided that I should be riding my own shop ride, so I got dressed and headed out. We did 30 miles at a steady pace -- only a few drops. I am so glad that I got out!

Beautiful day, chilly ride!

Technically, it was a perfectly gorgeous day -- for FEBRUARY! However, it was deceiving. John (not pictured -- rode to shop and home), Hardy, Chris, and I were the brave riders today. As we were about to leave, Chris was removing his arm warmers and gloves -- it was actually hot in the parking lot. We discussed it for a second, and I knew that I had been fooled too many times, so I decided to keep my warm weather gear on. For the first time ever, I actually made a smart decision! As soon as we headed down Cole CT, we could feel the cool air in the shade, as well as the wind. That was just the beginning. Except for the very last portion of the ride, it was incredibly cold, and the wind was ferocious at times. As I rode beside Chris, I mentioned to him that his hands were purple! However, he is incredibly resilient -- he toughed it out for the whole ride.

We rode quite hard today. We charged up most of the hills, and by the end of the ride I could feel the effects. Due to squats a few days ago, and running last night, my legs were basically spent by the end. A few miles from the shop, my quads cramped up -- I was glad we were almost back! Overall it was a great ride! The only thing which would have made it better would have been going to Frontera afterward. However, everyone had obligations. I want to thank Hardy and John for making it out today!