Mar-21: Carpenter Pond / "TT" Based Route -- 40+ miles

Since overheating during an attempted 100-mile ride in late June-2020, and also overheating during a late July-2020 ride, and given that stopping at convenience stores for re-supply of cold liquids was problematic during the pandemic restrictions, I've been staying closer to "home."  Luckily, there are sufficient appropriate roads quite near my sleep quarters to get in sufficient climbing rides, 40-mile rides, and even the occasional 100+ km ride. 

 

My typical goto routes have been versions of the "Possum Tracking" route(s) and a modified version of my "historical" "TT"/cadence route.  The most ridden "TT" modification is 40.4/5 miles and takes me just under three hours to complete.  Three hours is a very nice time-frame for a quick ride.
 
This ride was the basic "TT"40.5-miler I've been doing since the middle of last year.  For some photos of some semi-scenic spots, click on this link [-- you'll have to scroll down a bit.]  Further, since I've provided links to previous 40-miler "TT" rides, see above "40-mile rides" link, I'll not go into explaining the route. 
 

When you see the in-motion time and the elapsed time below, you'll know that I took no time to take any photos on this ride.  I also barely noticed anything other than the road and my pedaling during this excursion.  However, one thing I did notice was the pond on Virgil Rd where last year there was frequently three turtles sunning themselves on a log in the middle of the pond -- also, at least once, there were four turtles sunning themselves.  On this date, that pond was VERY full and the log barely broke the surface.  Additionally, since it was not summer, there were exactly zero turtles visible on the log or around the pond or on the road surface or anywhere else. 

 

Some stats from the ride: 

• -> Honeycutt + Norwood - "TT" course - Norwood + Honeycutt -> 
• 1346 start, 60+ degrees F, NE wind    --    2h54 elapsed 
• 40.4-miles.    2:52 in-motion, i.e., only 2 minutes of stoppage.    14.1-mph avg in-motion. 
• My fastest ride this year to date. 
• All in the 39/14 gearing.  And that does make the finishing climbs on MVC, Norwood, and Honeycutt roads a bit difficult.  I forced myself to stay in the faux single-speed even though I was sorely tempted on the last climb on Honeycutt to shift to an easier gear.  [Maybe next ride I'll actually shift for the first time since the middle of November?]