All Over The Place?

[The title is Jeopardy answer to "The places where Vlad has been this week."]

A memorable number, if not a memorable ride, number 222 was 90 minutes at Velo, interrupted by a flat tire.  Wheel replacement took about five minutes, but I got the gist of the workout.  We did rollers -- first longer and easier, then harder and shorter -- climbs in lowish cadences, followed by increased cadence work, as if we were pedaling downhill.  I like these workouts.  I also like climbing and muscle tension work.  I don't like cadence builds so much,  though I'm pretty good at them.

Rides 223 and 225 were similar, so I'm lumping them together:  just a 30-minute zone 1 spin at the gym.

Ride 224 (pay attention, please, we are skipping around) was an early morning 2-hour, conversational jaunt.  Socially enjoyable, occasionally strenuous, and very friendly.

Ride 226 I liked a lot.  I went out in late afternoon just for 45 minutes.  I found a pace that seemed somewhat speedy -- though it could have been not speedy, as I rode without electronics -- and very comfortable.  I rode in a care-free way, gliding up Tunnel and enjoying the views.  The ride put me in an excellent mood and I resolved to ride at the same pace the next day.

What do we do with resolutions made on ride 226?  That's right, on ride 227 we break them.  There were too many cyclists on the road for a care-free ride.  I just could not resist chasing everyone I saw on hills and so I chased.  Everyone.  Successfully.  This made for a spirited ride.  I decided to get the most bang for my buck and went for climbs.  I came up Tunnel (lots of people to chase there), then Grizzly (even more people to chase), down Wildcat, up Papa Bear (a Taleo racer passed me there.  At first I continued at my own pace, but could not resist and sped up.  I began to reel him in, but then about 3/4 of the way up the climb he turned around when he was still about 20 feet ahead of (wimp)), down Papa, up Happy Valley, down Sundown Terrace into Orinda, up El Toyonal/Lomas Cantadas, and back over Grizzly.  This was about a 40-mile ride with 3 miles of flat roads.  I feel good and tired, but good.

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