I finally did a longer ride with climbing. As Deb said, it was gorgeous here today, but one of those days when it's hard to tell what to wear. Set out with the cycling friends from their house in Acton and rode to Littleton, up Oak Hill (3 miles of climbing), into Harvard Center. Then we rode into Bolton and did the most difficult part of the ride (Vaughn Hill Rd. and Old Bay Rd.). We stopped for lunch at the top of the most difficult climb and ate our sandwiches sitting by an old barn. This road is so beautiful, you actually feel high up; there's only one or two houses and farms on it and you really feel like you are in Vermont. Then it's down and down for about 5-6 miles until we do another more minor climb. I started feeling a little toasted here. My left hamstring was aching at the start, but I kept it under control by really conserving my energy on the Oak Hill climb, not going more than 8-9 and really spinning easy. I felt good on the big climbs, but after 25 miles or so, the last one got me. Steve and I went ahead of our friends, back into Stow, Boxborough, and Acton. We cheated on the route a little to avoid one last small hill by going out on Rt. 111, which is flat.

38.7 miles, 3500 feet of climbing, a couple of spots at 15%
average 14.01. I was going to commute tomorrow, but it's supposed to be near freezing in the morning, so it will be a leisurely afternoon ride after work.