Man vs Machine

Round 1:  So Friday was forecast for 72° and sunny; great day for a ride on my recently-serviced bike.  I get out of work early and hit the road. 

I was in great form for April.  The uphills were nothing remarkable and I had good legs for the entire ride.  I covered 39 miles in a little over 2 hours.  I felt great – I really needed a ride of some decent length for a change.

The only buzz kill was that my rear derailleur was out of adjustment.  The shifts were vague and sometimes skipped.  I’m no wrench so I took it to the LBS and they fixed it gratis, because they’re good like that.  Turns out the shifter cable was stretched.  No biggie.

Man 1, Machine 0

 

Round 2:  Today was forecast to be sunny and unseasonably warm – we actually set a record at 89°.  Considering that the average high for this time of year is in the low 60s, it took some getting used to.  I was psyched to get out and get a nice long ride in.  The bike was running smoothly during my warm-up and I had my sights set on a route to Vischer Ferry.

Depending on what options I take on the route, the Vischer Ferry ride can take over 3 hours and top out around 60-65 miles.  I didn’t plan on doing the entire route, but I wanted to do at least 2½ hours worth.  I felt pretty well recovered from the previous day’s ride and had earlier done a nice hour long walk with Mrs. Stallion.

I felt so-so during my warm up – small ring, 1.6 miles, 7 minutes.  The heat was immediately apparent, but I had ridden in worse conditions in mid-summer.  At least it wasn’t humid at all.

I didn’t feel right from the get go.  I had noticeably low power, and every effort I put out left me gasping and leaning heavy on the handlebars.  In my head I thought, “You’re not recovered from Friday, take it easy”.  By the time I was half an hour out, I’d had enough.  Go home.  That was a long ride back.  The hot weather was the kryptonite to my power plant.

Man 1, Machine 1

I guess I have to acclimate to the hot weather naturally.  A sudden spike in Spring temps isn’t necessarily a blessing.  Lesson learned.