"On Your Left"

Sometimes the titles to these ride posts pop into my head while on the ride because something clearly happens out there that is representative of the ride. Today, that was the case.

Today I yelled out, "On your left" for the first time in the 2020 riding season!

That's because today for the first time this season I ventured back out onto the open roads of the countryside, away from the safety of doing laps in my neighborhood as the snow melts. But before I could get to those farm fields I crossed over the Trestle Trail Bridge.

Wow! Major traffic jam of people. I guess sunshine and 50 degrees is enough to bring every Wisconsinite outside on a Sunday afternoon in early March.

Lest you think that this was a warm ride, let me tell you that as I rode over the water I also rode past some guys ice fishing out there! I would have stopped to take a picture to post here, but I didn't want to freeze.

The flags were all at attention today, with a 15-20+ mph wind making things very difficult with a cross or headwind. At one point I turned onto a road called Pioneer and when I did, BAM it hit me in the face and almost brought me to a halt. Headwind howling, I pedaled onward.

One big difference in getting out on the open road for the first time is hills. Ouch. On that road I climbed up a steady and rather long climb, all into the wind. Killer.

I turned left earlier than planned, just to break up the wind and ride for a bit in the crosswind.

Still, I was happy to be back out there with my knees in the breeze on some old familiar roads. I headed back and wanted to take a few laps in the neighborhood just to round out the miles at a nice 25-mile effort.

But my body had other ideas. Suddenly on the back half of the first lap both my quads started to lock up at the same time as I rode into the wind. I was done. Obviously the Hammer Gel I took earlier had run it's course and so had my training. I settled for 22 miles. And once again, I'll take it!

RIDE

OUTSIDE; Pioneer Loop + Neighborhood Crit, 1 lap

22 miles/12.4 average mph

Sun--50--Wind Chill 43

2020 SEASON MILES

Indoor: 125.6

Outdoor: 115