45er

45 mile ride (hills and all) in the books!

Eric and I participated in the Covered Bridge Tour today and decided on the 45 mile distance which aligned best with my training plan (they had distances of 23, 45, 75, and 105). The course was beautiful (lots of open farm land and the route went through some small towns) and the weather was great! We averaged 14.6 miles per hour, finishing in about 3 hours. I felt really good and probably could've gone faster but I've been doing a lot more training than Eric so I took it relatively easy on him. My neck hurt some, which led me to the realization that I really need to start riding outside more often. No more of this indoor trainer stuff. My neck muscles need strengthening and then only way they are going to get it is if I'm out on the road with the vibration and sighting. So, my goal is to get outside at least 2 times a week for a ride - one shorter ride and my long ride. With work coming to a close it should be easier...but even if I do have work, I just need to pack my bike in my car and immediately head to the bike path after work. So that's my plan for Tuesday this week (weather dependent, of course) - I'm loading my bike and bike stuff in my car and going straight to the Loveland bike trail after work to ride for about 20 miles. I can work on my speed since the trail is flat and on my long ride I can work on training for hills and distance. Once summer hits I'll get outside at least 3 times a week with my riding. At least that's the goal!