14 miles to Target and back
Yesterday's ride was a new record. Longest distance ever (again) at 14 miles. I think that record is just gonna keep getting broken. Also, I found some hills! Lots of little rollers, and one that was mildly tall that I went down in 3/8 on the way out. Looked back at it at a water stop and said to myself "there's no way you're riding back up that on the way back is there?" I needed a lot of water breaks on the way out, since it was hot. Next time, I need to drink more before the ride and on the way out, cause I got pretty dehydrated on the way there. Meant for the last two miles to Target I walked the bike a lot.
Negotiated a really difficult intersection at Target to get to the store. No crosswalks (ARGH) and left turns across 6 lanes of traffic do not make me happy. I'm getting better in traffic, but this was a stretch for me. The area is still very under construction, so traffic was light. This was good, because the posted limit is 40 mph there :o and we all know what that means for a driver. I might still be there if the traffic hadn't been so light. They have a nice bike rack by at least one entrance, the loop and post sort with 4 spaces. There are also *benches* outside in shady spots, which I was very grateful for. I got my shopping done (socks and undies), took much advantage of their water fountains, had a snack, and headed home.
I made it to the major intersection on the way back, which of course is now a left turn. This one had crosswalks, and since I needed a bit of a break, I made good use of them. Then... that scary looking hill. I didn't end up walking an inch of it. Granny gears and stubbornness to the rescue! Also water. If I'd been as dehydrated as I was when I got to Target, I wouldn't have gotten up the thing. The rest of the way home was pretty smooth sailing, tho I did get buzzed by a truck passing me on the right to turn.
I had enough energy afterwards to make dinner, and I have energy today to hit the farmer's market by bike. So 14 miles is definitely within my capacity :). Total time was around 3 and a half hours, which I think is pretty good given how long I had to dig through the racks to find things. And I'm giving myself a mental cookie for passing up a bag of Cheetos in favor of the trail mix I'd brought with. Cheetos = 450 calories. Trail mix = 220 calories. Also, the trail mix had protein I needed and hadn't got much of at lunch.
The route was 40mph county roads, with wide well kept shoulders/bike lanes. It looked a lot more intimidating on a map than it really was.
*passes Gatorade all 'round, since a lot of people have achieved big things this week*
