| Ride Stats |
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Distance:
68.11 miles
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Altitude Gain:
2,608 ft
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Avg Speed:
17.42 mph
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Route:
Fassett-Mosherville
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Avg Grade: 0 %
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Max Grade: 0 %
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Max HR: 153 bpm
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Avg HR: 125 bpm
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Terrain: Road: Hills
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Bike: Look Blade RS 795 Iconic Ltd Road
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Club: Schuyler County Cycling Club |
| Weather Conditions: Sunny 92 F S wind @ 9 mph |
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Had planned a group ride on Saturday as have the weekend off from racing or touring events but rain was forecast so we moved the ride to this afternoon. Guess we all would rather ride in the ninety-degree heat and into a strong wind than get soaked again. Iron Doug and Mighty Young Joe showed up around noon and we headed off into the wind for a seventy-mile lollypop ride to Fassett and Mosherville PA. Ride didn't go well for me as I bonked and got dropped two miles into the ride. I hadn't even made it to the first climb when the legs turned to rubber. Fortunately, I had quite a few GU packets in my pockets and started to greedily consume them. The boys took it easy on me and let me draft for a couple miles as we worked our way up the slot toward Elmira. Started to feel better as we made the first climb up Birch Hill to Middle Road to get out of the hot headwind. Speed picked up once we got over the climb and worked an aggressive paceline through Horseheads. Legs responded well and was able to get in a few good pulls but was very happy when I got to sit in the sweet, sweet draft. We toned it down as we passed through the city, and I kept continuously feeding as the long ride around the lake yesterday must have depleted whatever reserves I had in my body. Joe started getting worn down as we started the rolling climb out of Elmira on SR 14. As we hit the first climb Doug and I picked up the pace and Joe quickly disappeared in the rear-view mirror. I surprisingly was able to keep up on the climbs though they were highway climbs and engineered not to be too steep. We waited for Joe to rejoin in Fassett then started up the long climb up to the top of Bird Creek. Joe actually kept up fairly well on the first half mile of steeped grade but soon disappeared again as Doug and I kept pushing the pace. I did fairly well until blowing up on a short wall climb before the last half mile slog to the top. I made it over the wall, but Doug just kept motoring, and I gave up as legs were empty again and I couldn't hold the pace. I lost probably a quarter mile on the last Half mile of climbing. I did reach the top before Joe though and used the time to feed and recover as we waited. So after thirty-five miles of headwinds and climbing we were treated with another thirty plus of downhill and tailwinds. We made good time working a loose paceline with whoever felt good at the time taking long pulls while the others rested. There was talk of Ice Cream as we passed back through the city, but it never showed up. Joe disappeared somewhere along Pine Valley as the speeds picked up as we worked our way down through the slot. Doug was feeling feisty and was achieving fairly high speeds and I just sat in the draft for several miles though I did get a long pull in to finish off the ride. Turned out to be a better ride than I thought it would be after the very poor start but fortunately was carrying enough calories to get me through the day.
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