I left for my ride at 6 PM today. That's almost two hours later than normal. I'd spent half of the day with Frank Locke and Darien Small helping John Woodward uproot an eighteen foot round pool from the place he bought it, break it down into transportable pieces, and pack it into a pickup truck. It wasn't exactly back-breaking labor, but it was a lot more work than sitting on my butt in my office all day, that's for sure.

So, I expected today's ride to be a bit slower than normal.

I was wrong!

Riding exactly the same route as last time, I shaved off eighteen seconds for a total time of 50:19, and an average speed of 18.80 mph, over a 15.77 mile course.

The lesson I re-learned on the last ride was that cycling is a mental sport as much as a physical one. If I let the hills psyche me out, then my ride goes poorly. I remembered that today, and it made a difference. I still need some convincing, as one or two of the hills did still wear me down pretty badly. I wonder what today's ride would have bene like if I'd had a little competition!

I'm convinced that it's time to lengthen my rides again. I'll be shooting for something closer to 20 miles. I have an idea, but I haven't tried this road in two years so I don't remember how much longer it is.

Now if only I could lose some more of this weight! Nothing I do could have a bigger impact on my performance as shedding some pounds. I have plenty to spare. Six months of sitting at my desk has proven to be very difficult to overcome. The weight's coming off, but too slowly.