“Ride #36: Forty in the Rain”

I felt the first raindrop as my front wheel left my driveway, but it was too late to stop! "Just pretend you're a duck," I thought.

Within a mile it was raining steadily, and it continued for the whole ride. Still, it was my second fastest ride of the season, and was a full training ride, including Pumpkin Hill. I guess those four sequential hill rides (the half century up here, and then three rides in Lancaster, PA) were pretty good for me.

Even though I'm behind by miles and number of rides, I can honestly say that I feel better than I remember feeling at this time last year. The coming-soon PMC isn't intimidating me like it was a couple of months ago, and I'm four pounds lighter than I was on this date in 2003.

Now I'm looking for a way to tack another four to six miles onto my route. Hmm...

Stats: 39.63 miles (63.80 km) in 2h 4' 43" for an average speed of 19.06 mph (30.69 kph).