Earliest I have ever been out on the road and the furthest I have ever ridden on my first outdoor bike ride!
Karen Beazley posted on my tri club Facebook site that she was looking at doing 3.5 hrs plus a 20 min run. I hadn't even given it a thought until then. Sure, I was dreaming about joining some cyclists I knew had been out for weeks but these are the hearty types that cycle year-round for the most part. I am a cold weather whimp when it comes to biking and swimming and I am fearful of wnter road debris left from ploughs plus the massive potholes this past season left behind.
Unlike other years though, I have a second bike - my beloved 2nd hand first born "Evangeline". A 2004 Trek Equinox WSD 9 speed triathlon bike with 650c wheels (pic below). She will be my workhorse being heavier and sturdy with lots of DuraAce upgrades - I will use her for commuting and alot of my "dirty" spring or inclimate weather rides and keep my baby "Pitoune" (2013 carbon Cervélo P2) for the indoor trainer, long dry days and racing (she'll be coming to AZ with me in a couple of wks)
By Friday my heart was set to join Karen et al especially since she suggested one of my all-time fav routes - from the Bike & Bean in Tantallon, NS to Peggy's Cove (1 hr) and beyond through quaint fishing villages to Bayside (1 hr) and back for my 4 hrs plus a 15 min ride.
One obstacle though - Evageline has been hanging from the ceiling of my training room in the garage all winter. And, the last one to ride her was Bird when she did the Shubie Doobie Sprint tri here last September.
Saturday was my only chance to see if I could get her in shape to ride. I needed to use pedals from another bike so I wouldn't have to keep switching back and forth. It meant using my mountain bike cleats (cycling shoes with clips that attach to the pedals). I'd never done that b4. I had an hour easy bike workout scheduled between my 3300m swim and 2 hr run with 1 hr hill intervals.
Miraculously, I got it all done despite a late start and some frustration searching for anspare tube for the 650c, adjustments. I started swimming at 1:45pm and finished my run on Saturday at 8:15pm with just barely enough light - phew!
No excuses I forced myself to "put my big girl pants on" and "just do it!"
If I would have stopped each time I saw wildlife or a breathtaking view, the ride would have taken double time. But these deer were the exception. I couldn't resist.
Left the Bike & Bean with Karen, Suzanne Ferrier, Stu Cameron and Jo Fraser. The first 3 turned back at 1:45 since they only needed 3.5 hrs. I was so grateful to Suzanne for joining me as she isn't training for anything in particular so I had company for the extra 30 min and 2 hr return!
Suzanne ... 3 hrs down, 1 to go! She's incredible although she's been cycling for years and an accomplished triathlete at various distances - last year due to injury, she wasn't able to cycle nor run much. While all of us have been at it throughout the winter mostly on a trainer, Suzanne hasn't cycled that long since her Iroman race in August 2012. You wouldn't have guess it - she went from 0 to 4hrs with no difficultly. Must be nice to have that level of fitness, muscle memory and endurance. Really nice of her to accompany me. That's the kind of wonderful people I've been fortunate to welcome into my life these past 4-5 yrs. We are a supportive community of friends like none other I've encountered.
Just on the outskirts of Peggy's Cove
Suzanne and I made it back in good time. Faster than on the way out when we were still warming up our legs. Karen, Stu & Jo had already done their run so I met up with them in the cafè after mine. Yummy menu with gluten free items. I had a favorite - West African peanut soup w/ gf tortilla chips and a double go chocolate cookie & a double shot of expresso in my Americano.
The ride itself was 105 kms in 4 hrs and my heart rate remained in mostly in the lower end of zone 2 - exactly where it was supposed to be on this long ride. So the average was approx 26 km/hr.
A big deal for me - I stayed in my seat for all the longer climbs! That is a first on this course for me and I usually do this course in July. I only came out of my seat briefly on the return 4 times and really due to poor gear choice & chatting.
Finally, when I was finished the ride, I felt like I could have done another hour at least - this makes me VERY happy!
Must get back on the trainer for this week and still most bike workouts. I need to remain focused on building power and efficient. I will likely go on the road for my easy Friday 1 hr ride this wk since its a holiday. Karen has already posted re: a 4 hr ride on Saturday but I know I will benefit more from sticking to my training plan. It is recovery and test wk and I have registered for a 10k running race in Tatamagouche on Saturday. My Easter Sunday brick is less on purpose - 2:30 bike + 30 min run! Besides Spring Training with 10 glorious days of cycling plus some running and swimming in Tucson is a mere 3 wks from now!
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