Long Ride

Anticipating afternoon showers, Amy gave me permission to ride in the middle of the morning, usually reserved for family time. I wasn't sure what weather to expect, so I bundled up (and ended up stripping off my jacket sleeves on the fly, feeling like a roleur).

I rode the standard loop to Sycamore Valley, out Camino Tassajara and Highlands to Livermore, Greenville/Vasco to Tesla, then back to Pleasanton via Isabel and Valley, and home via Santa Rita to Owens/BART and up Dougherty. The bike computer tallied the ride at 50.8 miles, but MapQuest has it at about 51.5. Riding time was 2:44:57, for an average speed of 18.7mph.

I added some structure to the ride, too. Starting at about an hour in, I inserted about 45 minutes of continuous intervals: about 90s each of standing about 60rpm, time-trial (TT) at about 90-95rpm, and TT in a big gear at about 60rpm. This was a tough workout, painful in the quads at times, and even though I finished out the ride at a solid, steady pace, I doubt I could have gone much further. That main set is definitely a keeper.