Only the second time I've started a thread...
I had 2 rides yesterday (it's spring vacation here). Amazingly, the sun finally came out around 10 AM, just around the time my husband finished putting new shifters on my Voodoo commuter bike. Around 11:30 I set off on a trip to the drugstore, about 3.3 miles away. Feeling very stylish in my Terry scooter capris, a wicking shirt from Patagonia, a hoody, and my new yellow helmet, I froze a bit on the 1.5 mile downhill that begins my ride, but after that, I was fine. Only saw one other cyclist before I got to the store, but a lot of people were walking on the sidewalk by the Concord River, which is severely overflowing its banks from all of the rain. I decided against buying a magazine that felt like it weighed 4 lbs., got my stuff and started back. It is definitely work to ride that bike with a loaded pannier up my hill. There were a lot more cyclists out on the way back, and I took a little detour around the back of the North Bridge/battle area and there were tons of tourists on the street who were walking like 3-4 abreast. I was sweating going up my street and driveway, but it was fun. 7.2 miles.
Later my husband and i went out for a 16 mile ride. My quads were screaming, not sure why. I felt generally crappy almost the whole time, until near the end. On one stretch of Lowell Rd. I managed to stay at 22-23 for about 5 minutes, but that didn't make up for how miserable the ride felt overall. Managed to keep my average over 15, including the hill, but it's funny how my mental set changes from a "fun' commuter trip to a training ride that seems like work.
