I was supposed to ride the rollers when I got home today. Only a week to go to Utah and I should be getting in SOME saddle time. Well I get home and I'm tired, and not thrilled about riding inside. I consider going out but know there isn't that much daylight left, so I get changed, and come downstairs and air up the tires. I take a look at the rollers, another look at the sunny day outside, and figure ride time outside is more fun anyway, so I throw on a base layer and out the door I go.
First thing I notice on the road is that my acceleration from low speed is easy... surprisingly easy. I find myself using a bigger gear than I normally would. Well, that's good, I figure, I have been hitting the gym and Wednesday is always leg day. For lack of a better idea, I take the old tried and true route out to the river and back, and find myself cruising along very easily in the big ring. Well, sure, it's a little downhill all the way out so no surprise, plus I'm still fresh.
Well, the freshness didn't wear off. I got out to the river, and felt so good, I decided to do Fretz Mill Road, a 3/4 mile stretch with a 20%+ grade just before the middle of the climb. I didn't do it fast, but I did it, and I have to say, with the least effort I have ever exerted on that hill. It wasn't just because I was going slow, mind you... even when I've been riding regularly, I wind up in first gear, cranking over slowly... but now I was doing it without straining. I didn't go faster simply because I didn't FEEL like it. Being able to ride this hill with so little effort was quite the novelty. The 7lbs I've dropped since the winter certainly helped as well.
The Flight Deck computer's battery died, and I forgot to move the Garmin GPS over to the bike, so I have no concrete proof of how fast I went, but I do know that ride, and I do know what gears I ride at what point. (easy since I always ride 53/39 chainrings and a 12-25 cassette) Because of that, I know that I was going as fast, or faster, in several spots, as I would when I've been riding regularly. I also know what 90rpm feels like, and when I'm doing faster than that on the flats in a 53/15 gear, the math says plain and simple that I was turning an easy 25mph. When I click up to the 54/14 and just keep rolling, well, it feels pretty good.
I also know that on a good day, I can get to a 39/14 by the top of Carversville road... and today I shifted to the 39/13 just before the crest.
Now for racers, these numbers aren't fast. But for me, they're plenty respectable, and the really, REALLY encouraging part is that I was turning these numbers without feeling like I was really exerting myself. Considering how little I've ridden up to this point this year, this is VERY promising.
I know the next time I get on a mountain bike will bring me right back down, but right now I feel like a superhero.
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