John’s Ramblings

My friend and riding partner Kevin and I did our first “big” cycling training ride of 2006 yesterday, a loop of Lake Washington.

The goal was to not get Kevin out of bed too early, complete the loop, and get back to our respective abodes before kickoff of the Seahawks/Panthers NFC Championship game. With that in mind, we met at Gene Coulon Park in Renton at 9:00 AM. As a complete change-of-pace from our recent weather pattern, we had zero rain predicted. It was a bit cool, however, and the temperature never got above the mid-40′s.

We did the loop in clockwise fashion (north on the west side, south on the east). The ride was actually quite nice, although I’m pretty fatigued even now. Surprising was the number of other cyclists doing the lake loop yesterday. I honestly think there were more cyclists out there yesterday than I saw during June and July on the same route. Way to go, Seattle!

We completed the 49.8 mile route in 3.8 hours (rolling time), or a 13.05 average. Add in water, bathroom, and bakery time, and it was almost exactly 5 hours. We loaded our bikes on or in our respective vehicles and said our goodbyes at 2. Perfect timing, as that gave me 90 minutes to unload the car, shower, hit the hot tub, and get beverage in hand before the kickoff. Then, my team wins in very convincing fashion. A really nice day!

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