Janauary 13 rides

[Bluetree]

Okay California gals... we gotta show 'em we're not afraid of a little cold.

I departed before dawn this morning in 30° temps dressed like an eskimo... but the winds hadn't picked up yet so it was invigorating rather than paralysing. I had to test out my new bike fit* and it worked like a dream. I did 31 flat miles (still recovering from yesterday's interval session) and felt good 21mph+ on the flats through Hermosa Beach. I stopped to meet a friend for breakfast and on my return trip, encountered hundreds of run groups training for the L.A. Marathon. Most of them were experienced runners who were vigilant for and considerate to cyclists, which was cool to see. One or two spectators/newbies almost stepped into my path but were promptly corrected by their running mates. Great to see!

* I had a fitting done by Cycling Hall of Famer Ted Ernst last night, which became a 3+ hour job. He noticed immediately that my saddle was too wide for my hips, so we tried on mulitple saddles. My hips were too narrow for the WSD saddles (!) and we eventually decided on the Selle San Marco Azoto Triathlon saddle. He fitted the new saddle position, corrected my foot imbalance (which I didn't even realized I had) with shims under my new cleats. Then came the foot/knee fit. Afterwards, he tested shorter stems, the 80mm and 90mm, before deciding on a 90mm carbon job. Then my handlebars were rotated for fit and my shifters correctly positioned and shimmed to make sure my smaller hands were accommodated. My bar was rewrapped, cables/brakes adjusted and a nice fresh lube job. Phew! My bike fits like a dream now, and my cruising speed increased noticeably. I thought I would need time to adjust, but the 30 miles this morning was a piece of cake!

[im4smiley]

Today I rode with a friend who was riding a single speed and had figured out what an equivilent gear would be for me on my bike. We left around 7:30 am it was kind of warm...40 degrees...we did 22 miles and I did it in one gear....first time for me..it was hard because I am not a spinner, at times I thought my legs would fall off!! but they didn't and I had a good ride.