ClutchPyo

I had planned to do a pair of medium-length (40-odd miles) rides this weekend. The weather, however, would have none of it. On Saturday it was over 100 degrees, and though I still rode, I only managed to eke out twenty miles before returning home. I completed a climbing section early in the ride that only a few weeks ago I had had to walk, but the experience on the whole was demoralizing. Considering that it took two hours afterward covered in ice packs to recover, I probably should not be so hard on myself.

Today (Sunday) was not much better. I didn’t go out to ride (it was even hotter than the day before) and 45 minutes on the stationary bike had to suffice. I can never find the same sort of stamina on the stationary bike; it’s just too boring and I usually top out at an hour.

Tomorrow it is supposed to cool down (ha!) to 80 degrees or so, so I’ll try to get a few miles in before dinner.

I have a very flexible job and quite a bit of vacation time saved up, so by the end of this summer (2008), I plan to take a trip by bike up the California coast to San Francisco and back. Depending on the route I take, it’s about 1000 miles round-trip of mostly flat (I think) terrain. I’ve driven as far north as Portland, Oregon before, but never by the coastal highways, so I’m not really too sure what it looks like past Santa Barbara. Whatever, I’m doing it. If it takes a little longer I guess I’ll just feel better about it when I get home. Better get the bike in shape!

Another weekend, another long bike ride! This past Saturday I rode the same Santa Ana River trail, but kept on going north up PCH to Seal Beach, where I caught the San Gabriel River trail. Thirty miles and a whole lot of sweat and back pain later I was in lovely(?) Duarte. I really do need to get an odometer for these conditioning rides, but according to Google Maps and a little bit of educated guesswork, I rode about 80 miles. Getting close to my goal here. Very exciting!

I was terribly stiff afterward, and it lasted through most of Sunday, but by Monday I was back at the gym on the stationary bikes. So proud. Speaking of, I think it’s about time I headed down there again.