Cycling well-when it doesn't make sense

[Owlie]

It's a very good workout. It's a pity I've had to give it up for the moment because of schoolwork and an ankle problem.
A little gentle stretching between bouts and afterward was all that I needed. For those long tournament days, we spent 2.5 hours in a car to get home, so my not needing much to relax my leg muscles was a good thing!

[nscrbug]

I'm in Owlie's camp, on this. My last two rides haven't been quite up to par with my expectations. I rode 53 miles on both Monday and today. I struggled on both days. Granted it was really windy on Monday, and I just don't do well with wind. But today, we had much less wind (still windy, though) yet I still found myself struggling to keep a 12mph, at times. My legs felt tired and my left glute was throbbing...so all of those things didn't help much. I'm not sure why I felt so tired on today's ride. I normally don't ride on Wednesdays, but both my husband and I were off work for Veteran's Day, so we decided to get a ride in. However, I did sneak in a quick workout at the gym before our ride...so perhaps the 3 mile run on the treadmill, 30 minutes on the Stairmaster, and shoulders/arms weight training sapped most of my energy. I also think I was just hungry and needed to get some fuel in me...since I hadn't eaten since 5am and likely burned through those calories at the gym. I won't be riding again until Saturday, so hopefully my legs will feel refreshed by then.