The last 100 mile

No, it's not the last 100 miles to be ridden. Well I hope not! It is the post of the last 2 rides to get current.
Thursday was a 40 miler. It turned out to be 41 in 2 hours 50 mins. Not to bad. I was happy with the effort. I was happy with the day and weather. 56 degrees and sunny. Just a little over dressed, but not much. Still having worries about getting cold. There have been some rough rides in the last few weeks. So, I carried a thin jacket and extra pair of long finger gloves in the rear pockets. It all just turned out to be extra weight. The wool vest was a little warm and was wet by the time I got home. The wet wool vest also made the last few miles a little cold from the evaporation. The best way to dress is in a jersey and vest, if needed, that are dry when you get home. The new fabrics do that well. So on this ride there was a little sweating that would not evaporate fast enough. It was a good course. Some of the few flats around here to run the big gears in. Good hard climbs to push hard on. About 50/50. The body was working well. The bike was working well. The weather was working well. Not a bad time to. Not many other riders out. Enough to give the wave to. I got home feeling good. Ate the food. Enjoyed being close to Mary Anne. The best part of any day.
Saturday:
Full blown sunny day with temps that would hit 62 for a few moments. It was like a new time had hit the Island. Every bike was out. It was a parade. All kinds of bikes. All kinds of color. More bare legs and arms than you could count. Still, mostly the bikes were out in the AM, before the temps were warm enough for me. I was waiting for the warmest part of the day. I have been on the roads all winter and I'm tired of the cold. So I was waiting. Also it was still to cold to ride with bare legs and arms for this old horse. Although the outfit was light, there were still arm and leg warmers on. I was glad of it to. The shadows and down hill descents were still cold for my bare skin. I am a "serious training" old guy. There are rules for the body to keep it working at top speeds. Warm knees and blood are key to good performance. I saw 2 other serious riders on my ride and they both had arm and leg warmers on to. All the other folks were first ride of the season riders. More interested in there tan's. The tan will come soon enough. Oh, this was the first day of the Bayview Corners Farmers Market. It's a big deal and lots of fun. It will go on every Saturday till September some time. Mary Anne and I go all the time. The food is wonderful. A lot of the produce is wonderful to. there is one lady, "Back Door Bakery", that bakes the #1 pie. Her apple crumble is just one of my favorites. You have to get there early as she sells out by noon or earlier. All her stuff is first rate. So the day was a parade of sorts. My ride goes right past the Market. The smells and sounds were so cool. Music, people doing entertainment, color, smells and way to to many cars. Though there is a very good bike lane going through this area. No problems. From there it was of to my roads. All the roads I have ridden all winter. Plus a few more. I did some of the climbs twice! Oh,it was great. I was dressed perfect. I had gels and ZipFizz. All my flat tire gear was in my jersey pocket not on the bike. I had my favorite jersey and bib tights on from "Competitive Cyclist". I looked simple Continental. Ready to join the squad down the road for our "day at the office". It was glory. I was riding the #1 bike. New chain and New Campy rear derailleur with a mid size hanger. Everything was perfect. The effort was good but, not over the top. Once I was warmed up I just worked big gears all the ride. The hills were a little hard as I was riding the 39 tooth crank that was also the 53 tooth crank. I had been riding the 50X34 all winter on the #2 bike. It's close to the same for the mid range. It's the high and low range on the #1 bike that make the effort different. It's just 2" different for the climbing gear, but on the really hard and steep climbs that makes a difference in how fast the legs can turn over. I went up all the steepest climbs. I did some twice as I said. Man the other stuff was fast. That big old 53X12 is a great gear to go fast in. I was just hammering. 22 MPH all the time. The speeds were so much fast on this bike. Well, 4 hours later to the min. I was home. Still feeling. Not beat into the road. I check the mileage. 60.4 miles in 4 hours. Not bad for a training ride with 2 stops for fuel and my meds with a little tighten of my saddle to. Bring on the warm weather. I am ready.