Nancy

Sweet Ride

It may not be the “top of the line” pure road bike, but for this Senior Citizen it is a sweet ride.  My white Trek XO 2  with red bar tape, Flash Point Wheel from WheelBuilder.com and my Saris Power tap is put together.  It does move down the road easier than my steel Surly CrossCheck.  There are bikes and then there are bikes.  Last Saturday was a beautiful day.  My time was my own, so I ended up with 56 miles on the Trek.  What fun.  How could anyone not like going fast on a bike?  Well, fast for me, anyway.

In order to have a “bench mark” so to speak, in my training, I am posting the numbers from my last “3 mile test” with my trainer, Marc Walters at Rightway Performance Coaching, trainingtherightway.com.  I also put down the numbers when I first started with Marc.

 

February 9, 2008

Time:         10.36

Watts:        107 av.

Distance     3 miles

Heart Rate  144 av.

Speed          17.3 mph av.

 

One year later:

February 9, 2009 (these are averages)

Time:          9:09

Watts          201 av.

Distance     3 miles

Heart Rate  156 av.

Speed         19.7mph av.

 

Now that I will be able to train with power, I am excited to see the improvement. I am planning on my first 3 mile test on the highway this coming Saturday, March 28.  I am hoping the weather is good with little or no wind.

As Long as God Lets Me

“Well, you can’t do that very long!” Friends can be sooooooooo encouraging at times. This is one of the first comments I heard after getting my Surly CrossCheck for my 65th birthday in 07. Our friends and family do not always support a “new and different” us. They may want us to stay in the same rut we have found ourselves. Well, my family not only bought me the Surly, but have all been extremely supportive of my new hobby.

Four and one half years ago, my husband and I, along with our younger daughter, son-in-law and two small children, built a big new three generational house on an acreage we purchased 17 years ago. So, my day usually starts around 5 a.m. with a trip to the gym where I teach a Sat. morning spin class to pay for my membership. I do my Work Out that has been emailed to me by my trainer then head for home to watch kids, clean house, do laundry, buy groceries, cook meals, garden, etc. With the warmer weather coming upon us, my husband will join me for evening rides along U.S. Highway 2. My husband was on the Professional Rodeo Circuit for 12 years when we were fist married 46 years ago. He still trains horses. He has no desire to race a bike, but he does enjoy riding with me in warm weather.

I picked a Surly CrossCheck for my first bike, because it will accommodate road, Mountain and Cross tires. However, I will be putting the CycleOps Power Tap SL+ on a much lighter bike, a Trek XO 2. I will also have a TT bike. Both are compliments of my older daughter, Sydney Brown. She has a “stable” of bikes and is so gracious in helping me reach my biking goals.

Oh, and my reply to my friend’s comment – “Well, I am gonna ride my bike as long as God lets me”. Let’s go “saddle up”!!!