Stats (according to Strava, take with appropriate grain of salt):
Distance: 17.35 mi (28 km)
Elevation: 947 ft (289 m)
Moving time: 1:27
Max speed: 50.1 mph (80.6 km/h) -- This is patently ridiculous, my GPS peaked at
34.5 mph (55.5 km/h) and I choose to believe that over Strava today
Bike: 2005 Trek 1000, 700Cx25 tires
Highlight(?) of the ride: Wind
Today was the season's second climb up Del Valle Rd with S, but the weather was
vastly different than last week. Overnight, a cold front with a deep marine
layer moved in, so we started under low, gray overcast with a stiff west wind
off the coast that swirled around the valleys and left us feeling like we had
headwinds regardless of direction. As a result, I was feeling it before we even
got to the start of the climb, but my result ended up begin roughly the same as
last week, 18 minutes for the climb (which I see Strava claims is Category 3).
We didn't linger quite as long at the top, though the sun was out at this
elevation. The wind was really blowing and I had to pick up my son at some point
when he returned from a camping trip, so we launched back down the hill. Because
of the wind, I stayed upright to increase resistance and hold my speed in check,
giving the brakes a rest this week.
Back down in the valley, we spent the last 2 miles really fighting the full
force of the west winds, leaving me spinning in low gear right to the end.
I should be able to get some weekday riding in this week, so I hope that helps
whip me back into shape so I can do a bit better next weekend.
