200+ km, finished!
Excellent ride today, two-in-a-row now, on a new-to-me route up in NE Kansas, around US-36 near St Joseph, MO.
Spencer K., Billy C., Terry B., Glen R., Dave M. and Karen W.
First off... a full pleasure to ride with such a group. 1,200km vets, a RAAM finisher, a KCBC racer, and members of the St. Joseph club - a very strong bunch. The terrain around St. Jo on which they normally train makes for a very solid and well-rounded cyclist, and it shows. I enjoyed pulls, took a few and felt the burn (a GOOD feeling, by the way), and managed to hang-in, generally - though I over-cooked it a few times here and there. Good training!
I'm pleased with the results I've seen from a recent off-bike strength-training regimen, as well -- this being the first 200k since that program began.
I'm not not sure - because I have not weighed myself - if I have lost any weight, but I have lost inches and have gained strength where I previously had very little. Does this help the bike? Mmmm...yes: probably more than I realize. This is all part of the "train for something, even if I don't know what that something IS yet" plan ... more like a plan to create the best "me" I can be, nothing more. I got tired of hearing myself talking about it, and finally got "a round to it". Four weeks is a good start -- I still have a long way to go, but that's the point: it takes time. Once of these days, there will be a smooth transition from my cycling jersey to my cycling shorts, and I might actually look like a "cyclist" - whatever THAT means. Photographic evidence from today seems to indicate I'm on the right path, though, so I'm happy.
More to come -- something resembling a blog post for today's ride!
Stay tuned!
I'm kinda diggin' this group-ride thing, and choosing new routes - even if it means driving a little to get there. A great day out today!
2 comments:
Have you been up Wellman Rd, or McLouth Rd (hwy 16)? The road out of Winchester (192)towards Easton has some killer hills on it...
Not yet -- but I'll add those to my list of roads to check off... sounds inviting!
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