Rest day off the bike. Actually… motivationless day off the bike.

30.5 mi, 17.8 mph, 1 hr 42 min, soundtrack The Stone Roses “I Am The Ressurection”.  Have I mentioned that since leaving for my honeymoon, the daily temps here in Tampa have risen about 10 degrees and the humidy has doubled?  With that in mind, last night’s ride seemed a little foolish, and tonight’s goal was to relax and spin.  As I approached the Upper Tampa Bay Trail portion of my route, I saw EMTs assisting a cyclist with an IV. This solidified my goal for the evening and reminded me of another… stay hydrated.  Usually when I have been off the bike for a while, the first ride back feels great and the second feels terrible.  Tonight felt great, all around.

21.25 mi, 18 mph, 1 hr 10 min, soundtrack Ladytron “Destroy Everything You Touch”.  Back in the saddle after two weeks in Spain and France. The highlight of the trip was the Cote du Rhone, the popularity of cycling there and the prestige that cyclists hold… not to mention the wine.  After watching riders of all shapes, ages and skill suffering on the slopes of Mont Ventoux, my motivation is at an all time high. And despite living in a hopelessly flat state, at sea level, I am now determined to climb that mountain… someday.

So my first day back on the bike, I felt like a monster, everything felt good.  Everytime the wind reared its ugly head, I thought of Ventoux, and suddenly the wind didn’t seem so bad. Unfortunately, the rainy season has fallen upon Florida a touch early and I had to cut the ride short due to the approach of a nasty squall line.

Today was supposed to be a rest day off the bike, but considering what I need to get done before my trip on Saturday, I think today was the beginning of the hiatus.

23.25 mi, 18.6 mph, 1 hr 15 min, soundtrack Tom Waits “Hoist That Rag”. Short ride tonight, but entirely in my 53.  Felt solid the whole way, well, at least until the final stop light half a mile from home. Light turned green and I suddenly felt the effort.

30.5 mi, 15.9 mph, 1 hr 55 min.  Shortened ride, nothing felt good today.

50 mi, 16 mph, 3 hr 7 min.  I wasn’t able to get on the road as early as I would have liked, and since I would be riding during the hottest part of the day, I chose to go long and slow.  Relatively relaxing ride actually.  I was feeling my neck a little, need to see the chiropractor a little more often.  The SLR wasn’t quite as comfortable in the 3rd hour, which I guess didn’t surprise me.  Highlight… the cooldown in the pool, which is now at 80 degrees.

Rest day off the bike.

33.5 mi, 18.1 mph, 1 hr 53 min.  The name of the game today was high cadence, nearly the entire ride done spinning my 39.  Overall felt great, though my stroke started to get choppy toward the end.  I thought I had hydrated well today, but I started to feel some cramping in the calves late in the ride.  Beacause of that I chose to do the final 4 miles at a lower cadence.  Felt great post ride.

30.5 mi, 17.1 mph, 1 hr 47 min.  Didn’t feel particularly strong today, but I did push the 53 into the wind without too much complaint from the legs.  Need to make a point of hydrating better during the day.