Oct-13: Finding some Legs ?

After more than 2 1/2 days of sitting, my legs were bothering me, esp. my right calf. So I snuck out to BJP to do a short ride.

I was in super-warm-up mode, had just turned onto MVC there by the school, when this guy goes around me like I'm sorta' standing still. I look at my confuser -- I'm barely pedaling (being in super-warm-up mode) and doing 18+ mph. The guy continues downslope, apparently pedaling hard; but I realize that I will soon be going faster just from my gravity-gut. Then he stops pedaling, and I'm closing -- I'm coasting.

He starts up the other side from the creek -- he's standing, slowly stomping his pedals -- man, that has got to be killing his legs! I stay seated and go into my usual spin-up-the-slope mode, but I'm determined to show this guy that spinning works better than unnecessarily tiring one's legs stomping. Before the steep part of the climb is over, I am on his wheel. I take a moment to gather myself and make sure he is riding a straight line (because when he was stomping he was not straight), and then pull out and as I approach say "I'm on your left", and go on by, putting distance into him.

At NC-50, I have to wait for cars, so he catches up. But as soon as we cross the highway, I make sure to keep the cadence up, and am slowly putting distance into him again. I had to wait for a school bus just after turning onto Old Creedmoor, so the guy catches up again. But after that, I drop him, quickly.

Aah, a Lt. Dave type "climbing" victory over a challenger. Sorta'.

Except that after going down Coley to U-turn at NC-98, I see the guy on the side of the road some 0.85 miles from NC-98. I don't know how long he was standing there taking a drink or whatever, but he was effectively 1.7 miles behind. I had covered 8.8 miles; he had covered 7.1 miles. I stopped to make sure he was okay. And found that he had ridden 30 miles on Saturday and 50 miles on Sunday. In other words, my great victory was like a high-level Class A minor league baseball team beating up on a Rookie League minor league baseball team. Oh, well.

But he started it.
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Intra-ride stats (this ought to bore everyone):

location _____ tot miles _ pace __ segment m. _ pace
CP / Coley ______ 9.7 __ 15.3 _____ 9.7 ______ 15.3 This includes down and up MVC, and "all" the CP climbing.
Coley / NC-98 __ 13.4 __ 15.8 _____ 3.65 _____ 17.5 Net and gradual downslope. Into the wind.
Coley / CP _____ 17.0 __ 15.9 _____ 3.65 _____ 16.3 Net and gradual upslope. Tailwind.
L'ville U-turn ____20.0 __ 16.1 _____ 3.0 ______ 17.5 Flattish. I usually do well on this stretch.
BJP ____________32.6 __ 16.9 _____12.6 ______18.2 Includes all CP + MVC down and up + Pleasant Union Ch Rd.

I can "go" after a warm-up period. And I take longer warm-ups for longer rides. Because shorter rides end before the lack of longer warming up has had a chance to do "damage" to the right leg. (That's my theory / excuse -- and I'm sticking to it.)

One may ask how can I remember all the above while riding (I do the above stuff from memory - no GPS unit). Answer: it helps to be mathematically inclined.

The preceeding paragraph, and the intra-ride stats in general, have been inserted in order to "annoy" Lt. Dave.
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Oct-13:

BJP: Coley-Leesville U-turn: 32.6 m.; est 1235 ft climbed --> effort index = 44; 1hrs, 56min; 16.9 mph.

1st Qt. tot: 20 rides; 755.3 m.; 47 hrs, 31 min; 15.9 mph.
2nd Qt. tot: 43 rides; 2124.3 m.; 134 hrs, 59 min; 15.7 mph.
3rd Qt tot: 36 rides; 1947.2 m.; 121 hrs, 48 min; 16.0 mph.
Oct tot: 5 rides, 284.8m.; 18 hrs, 28 min; 15.4 mph.
YTD: 104 rides; 5111.8 m.; 322 hrs, 47 min; 15.8 mph.

Rolling 12-mos.: 124 rides; 5986.3 m.; 375 hrs, 23 min; 15.9 mph.