Quote Originally Posted by Kano
...but that invisible hill did NOT win!
Karen, congrats on beating the hill! One day you're going to think back affectionately on that "bugger"

Quote Originally Posted by MdHillSlug
All in all, it was a great ride. I can't wait for next Saturday and the Covered Bridge ride.
Nicole, I'm glad the new bike is living up to your expectations. Enjoy next weekend-- I'll think of you out there in the pretty farmland of Frederick County while I'm staring at the computer at work!

I hit the C&O Canal towpath today out in Washington County, MD, up between Williamsport and Fort Frederick. Total ride = 26-something miles. Like Karen, for some reason I was ready to bag it and turn around after the first half dozen miles or so, but I pushed on anyway. I spent the first part of the ride pushing hard against the gravelly surface of the towpath, thinking "Keep up the pace, it'll make you stronger!". On the way back, I cut myself some slack and made a conscious effort to keep my rpm/mph down. It really did feel better, but if I lost focus my body would pick up the pace again of its own accord.

Observations:
1) I gotta get more bike shorts. I've been riding mostly with baggy shorts over a chamois liner because I hate being encased in black lycra, but having the baggies bunch up around the saddle is just too much of a pain in the hootie-hoo on long distances.
2) Instead of calling out "On your left!" today, I tried calling "Bike behind you!". Almost every single person automatically moved or stayed right, so I started thinking I had found the magic phrase. Then I came up behind a woman cruising along on a hybrid behind her DH (I assume). When I called "Bicyle behind you!", instead of continuing on just as she was with the awareness that I was going to pass, she sped up! When I caught up and actually passed, she was almost on DH's rear wheel. Sheesh!
3) The weather today was freakin' gorgeous. If it keeps up like this, we're gonna have one beauuutiful autumn in the mid-Atlantic region