After some of my recent problems riding down at White Rock Lake (rude cyclists and races) I’ve done some riding around the loop we use for our Monday evening training rides. It is kinda boring but there’s no traffic and the only real hazard is gettingtaken out by an airplane. The picture below is of some of the flowers on the loop. It’s actually quite pretty and is like that for the entire .8 mile loop.

I decided last week that I needed to step up my efforts in my rides because I felt like I was becoming accustomed to what I was doing. The first big change I made was to start riding on the big ring. I’m not exactly sure why I haven’t done this before now. I think I was holding back because of the hills (that I’m not used to). After the Monday evening training ride last week where we actually did some big ring work I felt more comfortable turning it.

Wednesday last week instead of doing my normal hill repeat day I decided to head to the loop and see how hard I could push myself. I did a warm-up of five miles that was probably in the 14 mph range followed by a hard 15 miles where at times I was averaging well over 20 mph a lap. In the end I rode the 20 miles at a 16.2 mph average which is huge for me.

Because the holiday weekend was over I decided to head down to White Rock Lake to get a ride in. I, again, wanted to push myself hard to see what I could do around the lake since I was riding a bigger gear now. The wind was supposed to be around 10 mph out of the SSE with gusts to 15 mph but an approaching thunderstorm had the gusts probably close to 20 mph and a steady wind of 15 mph. That’s all headwind on one side of the lake depending on the direction you ride. I rode into the headwind for the first half and pushed myself pretty hard all the way around staying in my 52T ring the whole way. All told I rode about 15 miles with a 15.2 mph average. I believe my previous best average around the lake is in the neighborhood of 14.5. I wanted to do another loop but the approaching thunderstorm didn’t look pretty.

I have to say the biggest change I’ve seen is my riding on the hills. I am now able to ride up them easier and more aggressive (I actually try to think of attacking them before I get to them). In fact, I rode all the hills last night in the big gear which really surprised me. I think I can contribute this to a couple of factors:

1. I’m getting used to the hills.
2. My fitness may be starting to improve.

I expected #1 to eventually happen but I think my biggest surprise is #2. Looking at the speed I was able to carry on the two rides I talked about above, along with the improved hill riding, I think my fitness maybe starting to turn around and be on an upward trend.

One of the biggest changes I’ve seen though is actually on my belt. I have been doing more riding the past 1.5 months (probably averaging about 70 miles a week) and have really tried to control my diet. There are days that my diet lapses but for the most part I’ve been very strict with it. I just need to tighten the belt (pardon the pun) and stick with the diet better.

Like I said, the biggest change I’ve seen is on my belt. I’ve already had to tighten it two holes and only have one left to go on this belt. When I moved out here from Florida I intentionally brought two smaller belts I’ve had for a while with every intention of being able to use them. I might be able to reach that goal in the next couple of months.

Not sure if I mentioned this in a previous post but I did get the job in Dallas and will be moving out there later this month to start work. It looks like I’ll be living in Plano which is on the North side of Dallas and I’ll only be about 3 miles from Plano Cycling & Fitness which came highly recommended as a good local bike shop.

Lastly, I received the most recent issue of bicycling magazine just have only made it through the first ten pages or so but wanted to share a video with you. The video is about a lady named Staci Merriott and how she lost 184 pounds by riding her bike. The transformation is absolutely amazing and something that I hope to accomplish someday. Staci epitomizes the Biking To Live mantra. Here’s the video.

http://www.cyclepig.com/archive/family-on-bikes/

I rolled out of the driveway not know how I was going to ride. It took a couple of minutes to get across the big intersection coming out of my neighborhood but once I did I was able to settle in pretty good. After a few minutes of riding I checked my speed and I was cruising along at 14+ mph. It didn’t even feel like it. I checked my gearing and I was pushing a bigger gear than I normally do and I was doing so almost effortlessly. It felt good. I’ve noticed over the last couple of rides that I’ve been able to push bigger gears easier.

As I turned to the North the wind hit me in full-force. I didn’t even notice a wind before I left or while riding on my first leg of the ride. I tried to make myself as small as possible so that I could cut through the wind. I know, me and as small as possible probably don’t belong in the same sentence. It helped a little but the wind seemed to start to pick up. As I turned West it didn’t affect me as much but before long I turned North again and it began to hammer me big time. I passed a flag pole and the American flat was standing at attention pointing due South. I knew the next few minutes would be hard but from the turnaround point home I should be good to go. Before hitting my turnaround point there was a couple of minutes where I was laboring pretty bad and my speed dropped down to less than 10 mph.

Once I turned around the wind resistance went to zero and I was able to start pushing it again. I made it through No Man’s Land at 17+ mph and pushed the big chain ring all the way home. I start to labor pretty good in the last mile but it felt good.

All-in-all it was a great ride. Very good, in fact, for how I felt before the start of the ride.

The numbers broke down as: 11.56 miles, 49:29, 20 mph max, and 14 mph average

5:00 AM came bright and early and I was ready. I had a new set of bibs and a shirt come in the mail yesterday so I was eager to try them out. I’d also installed a new front light to increase my visibility to oncoming traffic. The air was a little chilly this morning but not bad. Once I got to spinning I warmed up quickly.

My first long straightaway I was cooking. I was averaging around 14 mph which is about what I saw on my last couple of bicycle rides. Traffic seemed rather light this morning and I wasn’t complaining. As I neared my first turn I couldn’t believe how good I felt. The bibs felt good, the legs felt good, and I was movin’. The rest must have done me some good. During this stretch I’m pushing along anywhere from 14 to 16 mph. As I neared my turnaround point I slowed down a bit due to a little uphill work and because I wanted to conserve my energy for the second half.

Once past my turnaround point and approaching No Man’s Land, I began to wonder if I could really push it the rest of the way in. I felt that good. I took a good sip of water and settled in for the push. Once I entered No Man’s Land I shifted into my smallest cog on the middle gear and began cranking it. I was flying! I made if all the way through No Man’s Land at 16+ mph! My previous best was between 14-15 mph back on Ride 10. I know, for some of you 16 mph is no big deal but for me it is!

I slow down before hitting the home stretch so I can recover a bit and drink some water. Once hitting the 2 mile stretch back home I shift to the big gear and push it the rest of the way in. It started to burn pretty good near the end but I was able to push through.

Overall this ride was fantastic! The numbers were: 11.54 miles, 49 minutes, 17.7 mph max, and 14 mph average. The 17.7 mph max was achieved while going uphill and the 14 mph average is a new record for my morning ride.

I saw a couple of runners today (one of them new) and another rider. The rider was a large fellow, like myself, heading the opposite direction as I pushed the big gear home. He looked to be new to the bike and struggling some. I saw myself three weeks ago. I’m not saying I don’t struggle now but I know there’s a big difference between me now and me then. I wish I knew who he was. If you’re reading this, and were riding East on Baymeadows Road at around 6:00 AM this morning, please leave a comment or send me an email via the contact form. I know the chances of him reading this blog are microscopic but you never know. Maybe next time I’ll turn around and introduce myself.