Two Wheel Blogs

Route: Belk Park Loop
Miles: 18.1
Time: 1:08
Pace: 15.8

Riding Tunes: The Clash, LIVE AT SHEA STADIUM

Ah ... it's good to be back. After putting it off for far too long, I finally broke out the road bike and went for only my second ride of the year, and my first on my road bike. I am tired of riding the stationary bike at the Y. Really tired of it. And I'll be back at it soon enough. But today, though cold and slightly windy, it was sunny, and the road surfaces were dry. So I suited up in my best winter wear and headed for Belk Park.

It was good to be outdoors again, good to be pushing pedals that moved a chain that turned actual wheels rolling on a real surface. Not having ridden my road bike since last fall, I am as out of shape as you'd expect, despite all the time at the Y. When it comes to riding a bike, the only thing to keep you in shape is actually riding one. (Or riding a trainer religiously, really agressively.) So it was slow going. I'd forgotten what it was like to have to climb a hill.

I made it through Belk Park all right. As I was heading back on Wanda, I saw a group of riders approaching from the other direction. I may have known some of them, but I couldn't tell for sure. They, like me, were covered in their winter gear, so it was not easy to make out faces. As I turned onto the Watershed Trail, my average pace was 15.2. I pushed the pace as best I could and, once I finishe the short climb up the Union Street hill, I had increased it to 15.8.

Last summer, my PR for the Belk Park loop was around :55. Today, it took me 1:08 to complete the loop. But that's okay. I had no delusions of breaking the 1-hour mark today. I had hoped to be able to average 16.0 mph or better. I came close to that, and for the first time on my road bike, that's good enough for now. I hope February holds many more such rides.