4.14.2008

Day 1: Pedal the Kettle


Day 1 of my vacation, I decided to bike to Kettle Moraine and back. The weather was good, but not great. Sunny (in fact, I don't think I even saw any clouds) with a high of 48 and winds of 5-10 mph. Since I'm not on good terms with my Fastback right now (2 flats), I decided to ride my Peloton. Ahhhhh.....carbon. I forgot how much nicer carbon is. I also forgot how uncomfortable my saddle is. Got a good reminder today.

My route had me starting out with a headwind and finishing with a tailwind. Perfect. I figured the way back would be really fast, and it would've been had I not been so tired. 80 miles was a little too much for me today. Plus I think I pushed a little too hard in the beginning. I was watching my power closely, but I overestimated how many watts I can average for 4.5 hours.

I think this would've been a great ride if spring in Wisconsin wasn't so dreary. Everything is dead, and even though it was a nice day it didn't feel like it.

On my way out, I rode through Whitewater and past the campus. I thought it would be kind of fun to ride past the school and see what's changed since I went there. It wasn't that fun...in fact, it kind of sucked. Lots of traffic and pedestrians and once I got there I realized I don't really care if anything has changed. Here's a picture I took of the campus from the start line of the Whitewater Road Race (my first road race). It's a fun race, but it's the same day as Crazy Legs this year so I can't race it.



There's either a lot of marshes by Kettle Moraine, or there's a lot more flooding this spring than I thought.




Good old rural Wisconsin. This might be a neat picture if there were leaves on the trees...




Notice anything wrong with this picture?




Apparently thieves can't penetrate a row of pine trees. And the gate is wide open. Not to mention, this house was in the middle of nowhere. It is so far from civilization, I have no idea why they think they need a gate. I'm sure that area hasn't seen a crime in...well, ever.

About mile 60, my right calf tightened up and gave me trouble the rest of the way. It didn't cramp, just plenty of pain. So in addition to being very tired, I was worried about getting injured. It wasn't the best ride ever, but better than being at work.


Time: 4:35:08
Distance: 80.92 miles
Ave Speed: 17.6
Max Speed: 32.13
Ave Watts: 184
Max Watts: 615

1 comment:

~Robyn~ said...

Way to go! I haven't even thought about an 80 miler yet. One of my college friends's parents live in Whitewater...I went up there a few years ago..its a fun little town! Keep training hard.