Today I had my longest ride on the PCs by 3.5 miles; longest ride time by 26%; 50% more climbing (1677 feet); and normalized power for the entire ride (167W) was only 1 Watt below my 2nd best previous effort using the PCs! And I started the ride with tired legs. I was able to pedal out of the saddle for extended periods up the steeper parts of climbs. Every time I did this, it literally took my breath away. I was able to recover quickly from these efforts. I still had strong legs and good pedaling form at the end of the ride – I was able to pedal at 200+ Watts the last couple of miles (broken up by traffic lights).
It was 54deg and calm at my house when I started the ride. The last time I checked the wx conditions at FOX was at 9:15: 66deg; W11. When I got to 30W and Ave L, the flag at the McDonalds was waving lightly out of the east – interesting… At 45W (1.5 miles later), the wind started blowing out of the SW and it kept getting stronger the farther west I rode. By chance, when I approached the bike path at 70W, my long-time cycling friend, Eric “Red Rooster” Wilson was just getting there too. We rode together, chatting, until the aqueduct at Munz Ranch Rd (MRR). I really struggled to keep up with Eric pedaling the PCs against the wind. If Eric didn’t show up, I would’ve turned around at the bottom of MRR because of my struggles against the wind. FOX@10:35: 70deg; W26. When we got the aqueduct, we stopped to chat for a few more minutes before continuing our separate ways. Eric rode back on the aqueduct, I continued straight over the top of MRR to head back on Elizabeth Lake Rd (ELR). It felt great riding the smooth surface of ELR. I worked on pedaling out of the saddle up the many rollers of ELR. It was an uneventful ride home from there. FOX@12:30: 73deg; W28. My legs were “jello” when I got home.