This morning I set out on a thirty mile ride a little later than normal and I paid for it. Starting out the traffic was horrible as people were heading to work and I also fought the late morning wind. Looking back I suppose I shouldn't complain to much about the wind because there was a chance for rain also and I made it home dry. I was a little worried about going out by myself, but it seems if I want to get any distance rides under my belt I'm going to do it alone. There are some groups in m area that ride, but I'm not sure if I'm up for riding with those guys. The last thing I want to be a drag on a group and get left in their dust.
Anyway the first ten miles went great. Before I knew it I had reached my twenty mile loop turn around point in thirty minutes. I was fifteen minutes faster than my previous ride to the same point. I had never ridden past this point in the road and assumed that the shoulder would continue along the highway. I was wrong. I went from having a nice five foot shoulder to three feet and then maybe two feet of shoulder. I swear the strip I was riding on wasn't much wider than the handlebars on my bike. Fortunately it was nice new asphalt and the ride was smooth for a quarter of a mile and then it was like riding on the moon. To say the least the four miles before and after my fifteen mile turn around point were a little stressful. Riding back home I was headlong into wind and it drained me. I was on the busier side of the road, riding into the wind, gassed, and wishing I had worn glasses. The dust and dirt that you catch is amazing. I now understand why you always see rider wearing glasses. They are a must when riding on open roads. My eyes were tearing up and streaming water to my ears. At mile twenty four the numbness set in. I was feeling it in the back of my thighs and pinkies. Obviously I need more time in the saddle to condition myself to the rides.
Route Stats:
Activity - Biking
Time - 1h:46m
Distance - 30.14 miles
Average speed -17.0 mi/hr
Total climb - 160 yards
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