18 miles Friday (well, 24 if I count 6 mile commute to and from physical therapy), mostly testing out new Wahoo sensors on one road bike. Seemed to work.
And nearly an unintentional metric century Sunday, 60+ miles total. I set out only to ride to a friend's home to deliver a birthday card (I got the date wrong, again!, and didn't have time to mail it). It would have been a leisurely 14 mile round trip.
But I stopped by the trailhead to refill my water bottles, bumped into some friends I hadn't seen for awhile, and we did another 50 miles. Fun, but I'm pooped today. Those guys are stronger than I am, and we were on their home roller coaster turf, a route with lots of short, steep, punchy climbs.
It's interesting watching how differently people tackle climbs. One friend is a somewhat big guy, 6' and around 185 lbs and in good shape. The other is around my weight, 150 lbs and a little shorter. The bigger guy climbs out of the saddle a lot, mashes instead of spinning, alternately doing a ragged cadence around 40 rpm and coasting, and doesn't seem to get tired. He's done a zillion century rides, including in 100+F summer heat, so his style works for him. He also owns or owned a lot of local KOMs from 6-8 years ago when he was actively chasing Strava stuff. If I had his engine I'd be doing masters racing.
The smaller guy mostly spins but also climbs out of the saddle some. His cadence is unlike anything else I've seen, other, perhaps, than Jacques Anquetil. He prefers full leg extension, almost straight, and has a smooth pedaling style. He has a ton of KOMs and top tens everywhere he rides, and seems to get stronger all the time despite being in his 50s.
I prefer to sit and spin, and keep up pretty well although it's more aerobically demanding. I practice standing to climb on my own, but it always wears me down quicker. I've been dropped on some group rides when I made the mistake of cooking my thighs too quickly by standing to climb. If I sit and spin even if I get out of breath I can recover quicker and catch up.