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07-20-01, 10:09 AM
Yes, it has finally happened! 1000 miles on the Roubaix! What a machine!:)
As far as the blood, sweat and tears, the only blood that has been shed was when I scraped my knee on the drops pulling out of the pedals in an almost panic stop. Sweat...yes, by the buckets! But you know, when I step off the bike at the end of a ride and I suddenly am bathed in sweat, it makes me smile...the bodies natural reaction to the workout it has just had. And, the only tears that have been shed are the tears of joy as a result of the many wonderful things that have come my way since I started cycling!
It rained most of the night, but checking the local weather radar, it appeared to be done in my area. I was so close to my 1k goal, there was very little that would have stopped me from reaching it. After pumping up the tires, I headed out with a very light sprinkle falling, but the sky was clear to the west.
As some of you may know, I have never ridden in the rain before. I was careful with turns on the wet concrete pavement, and excercised extra caution when crossing painted stripes, but experienced no problems at all. As I got into the ride I actually rather enjoyed watching the water flying off the front tire! I was riding towards the west, and at one point, when I looked into my mirror, I could see the clouds were begining to break up in the east. Although I could not see the sun, I could see the shafts of sunlight streaming through the broken clouds, and it was just beautiful! It was such a nice, enjoyable ride, everything just was working perfectly. I managed to maintain an average speed of 17.5, which for me is pretty good. And, when I got to The Hill, I even tried something new....I stood up to pedal! The first thing I noticed was the Fuji almost jumped out from beneath me! If I can ever get into the shape I would like to be in, that bike can fly! The next thing I noticed was I was gasping for breath and my heart rate was way out of the aerobic zone! I regained the saddle, and looked down at the speedometer, and it was indicating 19.5 mph! Going UP hill!! I tried standing again, but could not keep it up for long, and I finished The Hill in the saddle. By now it had stopped raining, and as usual the traffic was light, so I could ride in the traffic lane where it is nice and smooth, and even beginning to dry out. I finished the ride with 1007 miles on the odometer!
I carried the Roubaix to work with me today, so during my lunch hour I can give her a well deserved bath. Tomorrow, we leave for my first RAGBRAI and new adventures!!
As far as the blood, sweat and tears, the only blood that has been shed was when I scraped my knee on the drops pulling out of the pedals in an almost panic stop. Sweat...yes, by the buckets! But you know, when I step off the bike at the end of a ride and I suddenly am bathed in sweat, it makes me smile...the bodies natural reaction to the workout it has just had. And, the only tears that have been shed are the tears of joy as a result of the many wonderful things that have come my way since I started cycling!
It rained most of the night, but checking the local weather radar, it appeared to be done in my area. I was so close to my 1k goal, there was very little that would have stopped me from reaching it. After pumping up the tires, I headed out with a very light sprinkle falling, but the sky was clear to the west.
As some of you may know, I have never ridden in the rain before. I was careful with turns on the wet concrete pavement, and excercised extra caution when crossing painted stripes, but experienced no problems at all. As I got into the ride I actually rather enjoyed watching the water flying off the front tire! I was riding towards the west, and at one point, when I looked into my mirror, I could see the clouds were begining to break up in the east. Although I could not see the sun, I could see the shafts of sunlight streaming through the broken clouds, and it was just beautiful! It was such a nice, enjoyable ride, everything just was working perfectly. I managed to maintain an average speed of 17.5, which for me is pretty good. And, when I got to The Hill, I even tried something new....I stood up to pedal! The first thing I noticed was the Fuji almost jumped out from beneath me! If I can ever get into the shape I would like to be in, that bike can fly! The next thing I noticed was I was gasping for breath and my heart rate was way out of the aerobic zone! I regained the saddle, and looked down at the speedometer, and it was indicating 19.5 mph! Going UP hill!! I tried standing again, but could not keep it up for long, and I finished The Hill in the saddle. By now it had stopped raining, and as usual the traffic was light, so I could ride in the traffic lane where it is nice and smooth, and even beginning to dry out. I finished the ride with 1007 miles on the odometer!
I carried the Roubaix to work with me today, so during my lunch hour I can give her a well deserved bath. Tomorrow, we leave for my first RAGBRAI and new adventures!!