Hmmm

Felt better, temps lower, winds calmer, I'm slower???? Go figure. Cement's not all out yet. 33/17.1

One of these days I might get tired of seeing a sunset....not likely.

Better

Plenty of heat, wind and tired on the ride today; temps into the 90's, winds up to 30mph. Definitely feel better than last Monday, might be breaking up some of the cement in the old hairy legs. 33/17.7

Some Of What I've Seen Over The Last Couple Of Days

Extra

Still windy and hot, but it didn't seem as bad as yesterday despite the Hopkins bank sign flashing the same temp as yesterday. Maybe the thermometer is stuck.
Amy and I did the standard route up into Baker. Lots of talking and very little attention paid to speed.
Somehow I got talked into more miles and a stop at the Birchwood Cafe (our sponsor). Very good food, and some of our teammates were also just pulling in from their Sunday rides. Great to see everyone, talk and eat. 63/18.1

As Advertised

Cement legs have plagued me all week, so I posted a slower pace for today's ride.
Amy, Paula and me took on the heat and wind in our quest to reach Jordan. The sun beat down without any clouds to soften its wrath, the south wind only intensified as the the day wore on and the heat built. At Victoria we turned directly into the teeth of the wind and had about 15 miles of some pretty hard work until we reached Jordan. After head-down, quad-aching work and with about 4 miles to go we ran into fresh chip-seal. Nothing had been swept up yet. Not good at all for skinny tires, or carbon frames. Democracy is a beautiful thing; Jordan was no longer a destination. We took a slightly different route back to Victoria and ooohhhhhh the sweetness of that tailwind.
Cheesy Crackers In Victoria! (I was at the Fair yesterday no HoHos for me)
We followed the same route back to Excelsior, but I'm not one who's a big fan of out-and-backs, so to change things up a bit we came home on a top secret training route from the past. It has some very special, short, steep rollers that just crucify the quads. We're talkin' small chain ring steep. Yeah Baby! As hard as it is to believe, I may be hated even more now. A couple of comments heard as we approached these mini mounts; are we doing that one too? I don't like this road, and, my favorite, there was a flat road just a block or two away from here. These were all stated most seriously, so I tried very hard not to laugh, or even smile.
We made it home. I'm not sure I'm forgiven yet. I may never be. 83/18.7

Friday At The Fair

Rode over to the Minnesota State Fair to get my deep fried cheese curd fix satisfied. Looks like the need for cheese curds is more wide spread than I figured. Unbelievable how many people were there. With the exception of 2 or 3 city blocks, the 11 mile ride to the fair was all on paved bike trail, or streets with dedicated bike lanes. Then I parked my bike in a secure bike lot within 10 feet of a Fair entrance. This is one bike friendly city. 21/16.1
My two must see favorite fair exhibits

Later in the day Calhoun had white caps from 20-30 mph winds, which these wind surfers couldn't resist.

Gotta Go Slow To Go Fast

Great weather lately, no clouds, a deep blue sky, and a nice cool northwest breeze.
Feel like I've been leaving my legs at home, they're still unwilling to respond. I get out of the saddle, and then, in just a second, sit right back down. Looks like it's just going to be miles, for awhile, until I get some giddy-up back. Don't get me wrong, everything is fine. I'm pleased with the season. I just need some slow time to rest the old hairy legs. 33/17.3

Slow Motion

A bit nippy out there. Temp only got into the mid 70's. Legs won't give me anything. 33/17.2