“Ride #35: Spinning Miles”

In the notes for my last ride, I mentioned a variation of the phrase "spinning some miles", then I picked on myself for saying it. Unfortunately, it's clear that nobody knew what I was talking about, or even what I was picking on.

As I've been spending a little more time around racers, and reading web pages written by racers and trainers, I'm picking up some of their terminology without even trying. Spinning is one of the most common words they use, and while it's clear that the word has more than one meaning, it generally seems to mean any ride, or part of a ride, where you're not pushing yourself too hard, but neither are you just rolling along at a relaxed pace.

Anyway, this ride (#35) was little more than spinning. It was incredibly humid - almost 100% - and the temps were in the 80's, and I just didn't feel like pushing it too hard. I rode the "normal" route, just under twenty miles.

I'm pleased to say that after having ridden a couple of half centuries (another term I picked up recently, though I'd heard it before) in the last 8 days, a twenty mile ride doesn't feel like much. I think I've found a way to make it a bit longer. That's important because twenty miles is really too short if I'm going to improve my time on the half century (especially with all the climbing those wackos do). I think I can add eight or nine miles by crossing over Rt. 184 and staying on Lantern Hill Road (I'd been turning on 184 and heading home). That'll let me ride through Old Mystic and follow River Road back to the Mystic drawbridge, then up that last insanely steep climb on Route 1 to Rt. 614 over I-95 and back to 184 just a mile and a half from my house.

There, now if I don't come back the whole world will know where to send the ambulance. :-)

Stats? OK. 19.56 in 62:21, for an average speed of 18.82 miles per hour.