A nice morning ride

Today started with a bike ride: on the road by 6:15. It was ~37 miles and just under 2 hours (18.6 avg). The little TT (Time Trial) over the last bridge on the return leg is becoming a favorite part of my rides - especially when there is a southern wind to boost the speeds. This morning it was 36.4 mph avg, 116 avg cadence, .57 miles, 1:31.32. It's a part of the riding where I can feel myself applying power to the whole pedal stroke (over the top, across the bottom), it can be felt in the thighs and hamstrings as an ever increasing burning, until at the end the mouth involuntarily opens as more air is required...Fun stuff! :0

I was also reminded today that I was riding with my mouth open when something larger than a nat, or at least it felt "large" in my mouth as I swallowed it before I could cough it up - but I never did see them, just felt them hitting my body (and entering my mouth when it would open).

The Race Across America (RAAM) started yesterday and other solo riders start today. It's kind of been a distraction to me as this is a race that has no stages: it's just 3000+ miles long with riders resting when they need to. That may be 90 minutes a day. It's a pretty amazing race ... something to maybe consider a few years out ...??! ... 300 mile days .... :-)

[PHOTOS:

- first is the snake warning sign on the dam

- second is my smoothie for this morning in it's pre-blended state (soy milk, orange, apple, pear, carrot, beat, spinach, straw berries, millet, flax seed, almond, yogurt, whey protein, carob and ice)

-and last is me riding across the first bridge over the lake this morning