Mike's Bike Blog

Those were the words I heard coming from behind me yesterday as I took Jack out on Parmer for the first time. We drove out to the Parmer & 3405 intersection and parked. I picked this location to get out of traffic, plus with the wind coming from the South we could ride South towards Hwy 29 into the wind to start and have a tail wind on the way back.

The headwind made it a little rough, I kept telling him to stay as close to me as possible to draft off of me, but he would fall off the back every once in awhile. The place he really excels is on the hills, his light 70 lb. body is made for climbing. I have to keep an eye on him on the hills and counter his attacks. The hill between 3405 & 29 was the longest he's ridden. I could hear him breathing heavy behind me and I asked him 3/4 the way up if he wanted to stop and rest. He just kept going to the top.

At Hwy 29 we stopped again for a quick break, as we were taking in some fluids a group of 4 riders passed us, I heard some comments as they did a double take when they realized a 9 year old was partaking in a Parmer ride. We saddled up and headed North with the wind at our back. The group of 4 were up the road a little bit, I asked Jack if he wanted to go catch em. On cue he said "Yes! Let's go." I picked up the pace to 18mph and I quickly heard "Faster Dad!" coming from behind me. That lasted a few seconds until I heard another "Faster!" so I accelerated again to 20 mph. We were quickly closing the gap and we had them in our crosshairs. However one of the riders in the group had a flat and they pulled over so that took a little wind out of our sails when we caught them. Jack did point out that we would have caught them anyway.

We were passed by a couple riders and once again Jack wanted to chase them down and I was more than happy to oblige. I set the pace at 20 mph and once again I go the "Faster Dad!" comment. It wasn't until I hit the 24 mph mark till I was able to pull away from him.  We gave chase to a few other cyclists not catching any of them, but just like Fishing it's not necessary the joy of catching a fish, but the joy of the experience.

You might recall from my Time Trial post on 8/25 how I just didn't seem to have it in my legs. They felt heavy and I was struggling. This has been common on most of my rides the past week or so. At first I thought it was some residual artifacts from the crash as I'm still bruised and swollen on the hip still (yes still, but it is starting to shrink).

Saturday I set out to do a 1 hour FTP test. The way I've been doing it is 20 minutes on my Twin Creeks circuit as this is where I do my smaller 20 minute tests and then complete the Volente Loop. The 1 hour mark should hit at the top of the 3 Sisters. Well at the end of the 20 minutes I was discouraged as once again I was not able to hold numbers I had a few months back. I just felt like I was riding through mud it was a struggle. I almost packed it in at that point, but I forged on to complete the next 40 minutes.

On the rest of the Volente Loop it was more of the same and when I got home the numbers were very discouraging. In essence my FTP has dropped by 30 watts!

Later that evening as I was washing my bike and cleaning the drive train I noticed that when I spun the rear wheel it didn't rotate smoothly. The rear break was rubbing against the rim. I fiddled with the wheel and break and got it to spin freely. At the time I didn't think anything of it. Until Sunday's ride.

My ride Sunday was late in the afternoon, I left at 3:30pm from Williamson County Regional Park. I was at the park for a soccer coaching clinic. I was expecting to spend 2 hours outside taking notes on drills, but spent the time being a demonstrator running through the drills as a player. By the end my left calf was cramping and I was hurting. I haven't had to run like that in ages, it wasn't the running so much but the cutting and sharp turns, my feet aren't use to it and rebelled with blisters. I started my ride already dehydrated and in the first 30 minutes had drank 2 of my 3 bottles. On Parmer I had to alter my course to venture to get more water, via CR 159.

With 3 fresh bottles of water I set out again, my cramping in the calf taken care of with a bottle of Hammer Heed. Heading North into the head wind, which I thought was the culprit for my heavy legs and once again the feeling like I was riding in mud. The thought of the prior days wheel problem I thought I should check it, I found a shady section on CR 258 and pulled over. I spun my rear wheel and once again it was not rolling smoothly and sticking. I messed with the brake to get it unengaged and started to ride again. This time it felt good, until I had to apply my brakes and there was that feeling of the mud again. Once again I hopped off and found the brake nearly fully clasped down on the rim. This time I found that whenever I would apply the break it would not spring back to it's open position. Thus whenever I would "fix" this before the minute I applied the breaks it would start rubbing and catching! I played with the tension on the break and I think I got it adjusted.

After this last adjustment it was like a weight was taken off me. I could feel a difference in my acceleration and my ability to hold my speed and power, in fact the headwind from the North wasn't so bad anymore. I'm not 100% sure if this has been the contributing factor to my lack luster rides the past week but it does seem to hold some truth to it. Not sure how long this rubbing has been happening, at the very least it could have been caused from the crash, but it could have been happening a lot longer. I had a similar problem when I got my PowerTap back from Saris, when I put the wheel back on the bike it wouldn't spin freely the brake was rubbing. I did the same thing as I did Saturday night when cleaning the bike, fiddling with it until it seemed to work.

Now I have my eye on it though so any slight feeling like I'm riding in mud and I'll be sure to check my brake. For the time being I'll keep my FTP lower and I won't go out of my way to do another 1 hour test. I'll see where my numbers are in the next 2 Time Trials and I'm debating signing up for Tour of Austin: Manda Shootout road race, that could give me a good indication where my level is at.

UPDATE:

It turns out I didn't fix my brake problem. It reared it's ugly head again while embarking out to do hill repeats up Far West. I did a quick detour over to Nelo's. It turned out the cable was corroded from sweat and water and wasn't moving freely in the cable housing.

On Saturday I was scheduled for a 1 1/2 hour easy spin so what better way to accomplish this then with 2 junior cyclists. Jack, Ethan and myself with our bikes loaded on the bike rack made our way over to Brushy Creek Park and caught the ACA Family ride. The route was 5.5 miles on the new hike/bike path from the Brushy Creek Park to the YMCA. There were quite a few riders joining us, about 14 riders in all. The boys had a good time they did comment on how slow we went, especially up the hills.

Sunday I opted out of the Southwest Cycle Sport group ride because on Thursday I somehow pinched a nerve or something in my back and breathing heavy was a little problematic. Since the route scheduled was hills I didn't think the sharp pain when I started to breath heavy would be wise. Instead I put together a route down Parmer up to Andice. Instead of just going straight down Parmer I mapped a route that would take me on 2 different offshoots that I hadn't cycled down.

The first deviation was turning right on County Road 258. This road will take you down to Camp Tejas and across a little creek. CR 258 is 2.7 miles long and fairly secluded passing through pastures on both sides. CR 258 comes out on 3405. A left turn will take you back to Parmer, but I opted to go right towards Georgetown. I stayed on 3405 for the next 4 miles. As I was about to turn left onto Ridgewood Road my front tire went flat. I pulled over and placed my bike under a big tree to get out of the sun. As I got the wheel off the bike my leg was getting bitten by baby fire ants!. They were all over my left leg. I had to find another spot to change the flat. Ridgewood connects Andice Road (2338). I then headed down 2338 back towards Parmer. I headed south on Parmer, but only for .2 miles and then took an immediate right on CR 246.

CR 246 is another detour to Andice that I have never had a chance to ride on before. It's another off the beaten path road that runs parallel  to 2338. It intersects 2338 when it turns back on itself. I rode into Andice to the general store. When I pulled into the parking lot there were a couple bikes there and a couple taking a break as well. They had purchased a gallon of water and offered me to top off my bottles. Don and Janet backed up the claim on the sign outside of the general store that they had if not the World's Best Hamburger one of the better ones. I might have to make a burger run sometime to see how that claim holds up. After a short break I showed off into the wind.

On the way back I went on CR 254 and then onto CR 255 and CR 269 back to Parmer. I had one more deviation on Parmer instore. I like to turn right on CR 258. This little diversion adds an extra 4 1/2 miles. I typically will see deer on this section of the route especially down by the creek. This twist is good when the wind is blowing on Parmer as the tree coverage does give a little relief. The only down side is the road past the creek is not the best, it's a bit bumpy.

In the end I ended up with 67 miles. For the most part my back wasn't an issue, I did have a few short pains here and there (mainly when standing or looking over my left shoulder), but nothing too bad. It's definitely on the mend.

A little rain wasn't going to keep me from my Saturday workout, Tempo Intervals (5 x 6 minutes at CP90 w/2 minute recoveries). I should have taken a play from the MS150 page and canceled the ride or at least taken it indoors. Nope, I headed out Saturday morning. Although the rain did change my plans, instead of venturing out too far from my house I planed to stick close to home. In the rain I made my way to the Twin Creeks country club area where there is a 1 mile loop that I do  my FTP testing on that I would do my intervals on.

The rain would vary from a downpour to pack the Ark. I was drenched, on my last interval my PowerTap head unit lost connection to the hub. I've ridden in many rain storms with the PowerTap without any problems so I was a bit troubled with this latest development. After my last interval I figured it was a sign to head home and hop on the trainer. Plus it gave me a good excuse to give the Global Ride's DVDs a try.

After the intervals I really didn't have much motivation to ride even as the rain started to lighten up. I mounted the Fuji to the trainer and popped in a DVD. I'll do a full write up on the DVD, I liked what I saw, but I could only muster 20 minutes on the trainer. The motivation just wasn't there. I saw that the rain had stopped and the sun was peaking out. I gave the PowerTap another try and it was back among the living so I head back out. I headed down Limecreek Road but once again my legs felt like cement and couldn't muster the usual power so I figured I turn back and only put in 1'50 minutes. Well short of the 3 hours I was suppose to ride, but no sense if I couldn't hold the power I was suppose to be doing. I had already completed the crucial part of the workout with the intervals anyway so stopping early wasn't that bad.

Sunday's Ride:

The rain had totally subsided, the sun came out and the wind was back. At least Saturday in the downpour there was relatively no wind, haven't seen that in quite awhile. The makeshift plan was to head down Parmer to 2243 and head East to Georgetown and make my way to Barry Springs Park and then down to Weir and head back on 1431. The wind was brutal from the North so heading down Parmer was a slow undertaking. I was able to only avg 15.3 mph into the stiff headwind. Instead of going all the way down Parmer to 2243 I turned East on CR 177 to get a bit of relief from the gusts. Heading east in the crosswind still wasn't that great, but was a little better.

When I got to Barry Springs Park there were quite a few other cyclist in the parking lot. As I strolled in one of them asked me where I was riding to. It turns out it was the Cyclopaths of Texas and they were getting ready to roll out on a ride of their own. I refilled my bottles and took them up on the invite to ride with them. The only problem was I thought they were ready to roll, but they still had about 30 minutes till their roll out time. I ended up only riding about 6 miles with them down through Weir when they turned East towards Jonah, I kept going to make my way to 1431.  The crosswind didn't make the long ride on 1431 very enjoyable especially when the wind would gust up and change into a head wind it seemed. The only thing to note on 1431 was all the nails, it wasn't surprising that I got a flat. Luckily, when I pulled into the Wag-a-Bag gas station to refill my bottles I noticied the front tire was getting low so changed it before it went completely flat.

In the end I averaged 18 mph on the 70 mile ride.

On Saturday in the light drizzle I headed out from my house and meandered to Parmer and headed North. One of my favorite twists I like to through into riding down Parmer is the Camp Tejas route. Right before Hwy 29 there is a left turn, once you crest the hill and look down to the Hwy 29 stop light. Once you turn onto this road it's a short ways to another left turn onto CR 267. CR 267 heads South to the river and then turns into CR 266 and heads back North towards 29. The rain started to increase from a drizzle to a light rain. The South section (South of 29) is a bit rough, but mostly downhill to the river and then you climb up small rollers, but the pavement is much smoother. The road is enclosed by trees and I've seen many deer down by the river, along with squirrels so be on the lookout.

I approached Hwy 29 and there was a truck coming from the West. I didn't unclip, but instead performed a track stand. It seemed to take the truck longer than I was anticipating to go past me, but I held my ground. Rocking a bit and working the pedals to stay upright. It was one of my longer track stands. As it goes past me, I release my breaks and give a few hard pedal strokes, but there's nothing there. No resistance. No speed, and no movement. In a brief second my legs are churning in a frantic circular motion at a rate of 160 rpms but not moving at all. I give an attempt to unclip, but my feet remained securely fastened to the pedals. The inevitable is about to happen and gravity takes over. I brace myself for the pending impact with the wet surface. I land on the road with a thud and immediately roll to my back. Still clipped in I lay on my back, the bike up in the air I feel like a vulnerable turtle.  At this point my feet finally unclip and the bike lands on me.

I quickly jump up and have that I meant to do that look just in case there were any spectators. I don't think there were any witnesses, the passing truck might have caught a glimpse of my mishap and will have a good story to tell his hunting buddies. I surveyed the situation, while performing my track stand the torque I was applying to the cranks must have caused the chain to come off. Luckily the bike suffered no damage and didn't even make contact with the ground, my shoulder and left side took the brunt of the impact. I have some nice bruises on my left knee and elbow along with some road rash on my hip and knee. My right knee also got bruised when the bike landed on me.

It took a mile or two to get the kinks in my body worked out. I gingerly limped along 266 and made my way back to Parmer. I headed North on Parmer to 3405 and decided to turn around there. Instead of taking Parmer all the way back in I went back down CR 266 and caught CR 213. CR 213 intersects Stonewall Parkway which is a feeder road to Hwy 29 just outside of Liberty Hill. Riding this section of 29 isn't too bad, it's no worse than Parmer in my opinion, the shoulders nice and wide. Once in Liberty Hill I catch Loop 332 and head back to Cedar Park on Bagdad and Lakeline.

Total mileage was 50.79 miles. I averaged 18.6 mph, 216 watts and burned 2106 kJ and 1 crash. The rain and wind wasn't too bad, the rain did stop after the crash. My hip, elbow and knee are still sore even today. I can tell you one thing I'm second guessing the usage of a track stand, even if I can hold it I'm weary of mechanical failures.Track Stand Fail

After breakfast I spent a couple hours in the yard, actually on a ladder in the tree in the front yard cutting down limbs and making it tighty. At 12 Ethan had team photos for his soccer team which I'm coaching. After the photos was his game. After the game I got the bike ready with 2 bottles and 1 in the back of my jersey. I also popped 3 Hammer Endurolytes for anticipation of the hot ride. Before I even clipped in I was out for 4 hours in the sun, which was at least 85 degrees. I think we might have actually hit 90 today, it sure felt like 90 while I was out. I had tempo intervals on the schedule today, 5 x 6 minutes at 251 watts (2 minute recoveries). While I was heading out on Parmer at 1431 another cyclist pulled up and we chatted while waiting for the green light, the usual banter about the wind and how we weren't looking forward to the return trip as we had a tailwind on the way out. At the next light on 2243 we met again, this time the follow rider commented on the weather, on how hot it was. I was glad I grabbed the extra bottle, but I was planning on being out for 3 hours. On the way out I did my intervals, with the wind it made it a little difficult to hold the power, the wind was helping too much along with hitting downhills. My average speed on the way out was 21.6 mph. Unfortunetly all good tailwinds must come to an end and I had to turn around, plus there's more climbing coming back in.

When I hit 1431 I stopped at the Chevron station to fill up my bottles for the last 8 miles. I still had a little heed, at least enough to get me home, but I was still debating whether or not I wanted to stay out for a little more. The cool water and adding ice to my heed hit the spot. It pepped me up. I finished strong, but my average speed for the return trip was 17.2 mph. My normalized power for the 51 miles was 223. I guess this is the beginning of long hot rides.

I had a light week on the bike, that was to lead up to a Tempo Time Trial test of 3 miles on Saturday. The rides I had scheduled were short hour long rides in zone 1 with comfortably high RPMs. I had 2 weight sessions as well.

I did skip out on 2 rides, one being after the Thursday weights and Friday. The Friday workout was put on hold due to the weather. On Friday I decided to switch my workouts up and do my testing ride after work instead of Saturday. I was going to do a complete FTP test since it had been about a month since I last tested and in February when I did the test it wasn't on fresh legs so I was looking forward to the test and had high hopes. With the rain and inclement weather it didn't make it conducive to do a FTP test, so I decided to do it on Saturday and then I got busy with the family after work and didn't get on the bike in the evening.

The plan for Saturday was suppose to be the Spoke'n Spurs event ride with the 2 older boys and then I'd do my test afterwards. Ethan was going to make his event ride debut in the 6 mile route and Jack was going to do the 14 mile route this year. The weather had other plans, early Friday evening I got word that the ride was postponed for the next weekend due to the muddy conditions at the Spirt Reins Ranch. We won't be able to ride it that weekend as I'll be racing in Fayetteville on Saturday and Sunday. We'll have to sign up for another ride.

Saturday was a bit chilly, but it was dry and the wind wasn't going to be a factor so I went out to do my test. Like I said I had high hopes, I wanted to see my FTP between 290-300 watts. As I was going I just didn't feel it, I felt flat, not sure if that was partialy because I missed Friday's workout or what. I was still expecting to better my previous effort, but when I looked at the numbers I was actually 7 watts less than my February effort, plus I was slower overall. It really put a damper on the rest of my ride.

For Sunday I was planning on riding with the Austin Road Riders in the afternoon, but Saturday night we got a call from Jennifer's Aunt telling her that on Sunday was the memorial service for a 2nd cousin in Georgetown that passed away earlier in the month. I instead rode Sunday morning in the rain and drizzle for 2 1/2 hours. I did come up with a new twist on Parmer. I rode down Parmer just before Hwy 29 and turned left at the Camp Tejas route. Instead of going all the way around back to Parmer I turned left on CR 213 and right on 29. Hwy 29 has a big shoulder all the way into Liberty Hill, it's just as wide as the Parmer shoulder. From Liberty Hill I went back to Cedar Park via 332/Bagdad Road. I liked this option and it opens up more potential to have a safe route to cut across to Liberty Hill. The next option is to go further up Parmer to 3405 and then CR 256 to 183. The problem with going on 183 is that even though it's short there's not much of a shoulder and the little stretch is uphill. I don't have a problem going the opposite way, going down 183 to 256 isn't as scary. A third option is to go all the way to Andice and cut over via 970, this crosses 183 then then into Liberty Hill on the back country roads. Route I took down Parmer: http://www.roadbikerides.com/ride/view/parmer__liberty_hill/5389

I've also been fighting a little knee pain. It's not my usual pain on the side of the knee that flares up on occasion while riding. This time it seems to be in the front of the knee and is only noticable on the bike on the down stroke when starting off from a track stand. Its more noticeable when I walk, nothing that causes me to limp, but just a low grade pain. I should get it looked at and maybe get a look at my bike fit to make sure nothing has slipped over the past 4 months.

The pattern the last few weeks have been strong winds on the weekends. On Saturday my workout was suppose to be 2'29" of easy breathing and low effort. With a stong wind from the North the route down Parmer wasn't too enticing. I left the house with no planned route, but I did tell Jennifer that I might be out only 1 1/2 hours depending how it goes and then finish up the rest of my workout on the trainer. I headed South with a good tailwind most of the time. I found myself on Spicewood Springs Rd., I'd only ridden this road one other time with 331Miles, in the opposite direction. I formulated a route. I'd go down Spicewood Springs Rd. to 360 and maybe do the Dam Loop. Spicewood Springs Rd. is a fun road, it has a lot of curves and some small rollers, at least going down to 360 anyway, the opposite direction offers more climbing.

On 360 I changed my mind on the route again, looking at the time I figured a full dam loop would take too long with the wind as once I turned on Bee Caves I'd be bucking the wind the entire route. I decided to cut the route short and head up 2222 and catch City Park Road and come back to Cedar Park that way. This "short cut" wouldn't be flat, in fact it would require some steep climbing up City Park and Big View. The climb up City Park wasn't too bad, it was the freshest I've ever been going up it so the crosswind and swirly wind that was intent on pushing me into traffic was bearable. Once I got to Big View it was another story. I turned onto Big View and the wind gave me a sweet kiss right between my eyes. Luckily Narrow Ridge dumps you out 1/2 way up Big View, just past the steepest and hardest section (IMHO), nonetheless there's still climbing to be had to get up to River Place. With a strong headwind the climb out was ever so hard.

I finally made it out and onto 620 and made my way back home. So much for an "easy breathing and low effort" workout. At least I was able to stay in zones 1 (125.61 min.) & 2 (24.283 min.) for my heart rate, but as for effort it was far from low effort. Approximately an hour of the ride was at Tempo or above with 15 minutes (11%) above 346 watts (anarobic capacity). I rode 40.97 miles in the 2'31" burning 1757 kJ.

Sunday was more of the same, wind from the North... This time I set out on Parmer with the goal of riding up to Florence. The workout called for 4 hours 9 minutes on a rolling course at CP30 on the climbs. Otherwise, heart rate 1-2 zones. Mostly in saddle on hills to build & maintain hip strength. Getting to Parmer on Cypress Creek wasn't too bad, but once again as I made the turn on Parmer and headed North the whipping of the flags was a sign of what was instore for me. It was a long and brutal ride into the stout wind on Parmer. My legs were realling from Saturdays ride. Onwards I pressed, as I would pass riders coming back in I was envious of the lucky SOBs with the wind at their back. I kept telling myself how much better it will be on the return. On the way out I was only able to average 15 mph. It took me 2'32" to navigate the 36 miles to florence. I really wished I had someone to share the workload with. The return trip was as I anticipated. The only downside was on Andice Road back to Parmer, the wind was a bit in my face on this section, but not as bad as on the way out on Parmer.

Coming back in I averaged 20 mph, that includes the bigger hills on Parmer. I kept to the workout requirements and kept the power at CP30 so I wasn't hammering up them by any means, but enough to pass a few small groups up them. What took me 2'32" into the wind I was able to complete in 1'50". It was a hard 72 miles, I can feel it a bit in my legs today, thankfully it's only weights today and no riding. Here's the ride goodness shared from TrainingPeaks.com.

The real kicker of the ride was on the way back in the wind seemed to die down, there were a few flags barely moving! Darn you mother nature!

I rode yesterday, Saturday, braving the 25 mph wind from the North. I rode up North to Liberty Hill via Lakeline and Baghdad, it took me an hour to ride the 15 miles! From Liberty Hill I trudged on in the wind all the way to Andice. If you ever wondered what it's like to climb a steady grade, but are geographically challenged to find such topography like we are in Central Texas then yesterday was your chance. The pounding wind from the North made the ride feel like my ride up to Estes Park. The wind was so bad on downhills if I stopped pedaling I would come to a stop. My average speed to Andice (33 miles) was 15.1 mph

 

The plan was to go up to Florence and then back down to Parmer, but it took so long to get to Andice that I just caught Andice Road to Parmer. I was expecting a good tailwind on Parmer, but as luck would have it it was more of a crosswind until somewhere between 3405 and Hwy 29. The second part of the ride from Andice I averaged 21 mph in the 27 mph. The stretch down Parmer I dropped the hammer and without the wind in my face I was able to average 24 mph. That includes the climbs on the hills. I was happy with this effort as I really wanted to see how I could hold the pace after putting a hard effort over 2 hours to get there.

The total distance was only 57 miles which took me 3'19". 2'10" to get out and 1'08" back. Noramlized Power was 240 Watts, IF 8.38, TSS: 231.4  Yes it was cold and windy, but man I had a good time, I'm really glad I put in the effort.

This week I put together my training plan for the year using Traing Peaks Annual Training Plan Wizard. I penciled in a few of the races I know about along with a few event rides that I plan to enter as well. I started my training in the foundation stages as I want to build a solid base to build off of later in the year. This will help me as I progress through the year with speed work and give me the endurance to go 200 miles in a day. Right now it's a mix of lifting weights and riding. The riding is a little less than what I've been accustomed to so it's a little hard to take a step back as I've been wanting to get on and hammer it. All in due time though, this Saturday will be hammer time in the Copperas Cove race.

There was a little doubt as to my participation in the race come Saturday. It so happens that Jack and Ethan have their Cub Scout Pine Wood Derby that same day. Luckily Jennifer will take the boys to their race while I go to my race.

The rides this week were pretty good. Lauri and me did a lunch ride that left our office at Far West/MoPac down to Mellow Johnny's. This is good as we have a client right down there so now I know if/when I need to ride down there that it can be done. I also rode Volente loop on Saturday. It was suppose to be a hard effort, the wind that morning made sure of that. Once again I got a flat. I think that makes the 5th consecutive time that I've gotten a flat. They are almost all in the same spot, I'm beginning to think that one of the home owners there is discarding broken glass or nails to discourage bikes of pedal and motor powered. Although I haven't seen anybody else running into flat issues, it might just be me.

Sunday I went to the Austin Road Riders Sunday ride up Parmer. I really like riding with this crew. Chuck chimed in on the email list that this was going to be a training ride for him and let us know that we didn't have to keep his pace that everybody should ride how they want and to ignore him. Right from the start heading into the wind it was on. I found myself and Scott in somewhat of a break, Scott was a bit ahead of me, I knew the City Limit sign was coming up, I thought it was a ways further than what it was so he easily one that one as I didn't even contest it. Note to self, the Leander City Limit Sign is green. The Cedar Park City Limit Sign is white. The pace started so fast as we were averaging 22 - 24 mph the group split up fairly quickly. We waited at Hwy 29 and 3405. At 3405 Scott went back to see if he could see the rest of the group but at the pace we were laying down they weren't going to be coming along anytime soon. Scott decided to wait for the others while Chuck, Bruce, Andy and myself made the turn onto Indian Springs. The 4 of us regrouped again at Andice Road (RR 2238). At this point it was getting late in the day, everybody had on long sleeves, jacket, full finger gloves and tights. I on the other hand just had on a short sleeve jersey and bibs. I wasn't cold yet, but at the start everyone was saying how it was going to get cooler as the sun set.  I didn't want to get caught out in the cold, I really wanted to get a move on. I decided I wanted to see if I could ride the 17 miles back at/near thereshold. As I turned back down Parmer I started ramping up to 24+ mph. Andy and I rode together till about 3405 and then I was on my own. I didn't let up at all, my goal was to not get caught, to see how long off the front I could stay. I had hoped I could keep them off me all the way to the City Limit sign coming back in. For most of the time I was 24 to 29 mph, there's some big hills that I wasn't able to maintain that speed up of course so in the end my average speed back in for my solo effort came out to 21 mph (also factoring in slowing down for the stop lights). This was the longest sustained threshold attempt I've made. It would have been even greater if I could have captured the data with my power meter. However, as the ride started the hub wouldn't wake up so I was unable to record the ride with it, I only had my Garmin. It turns out the batteries in the hub died. I replaced them when I got home. Really bummed though that I didn't get the data, I guess I'll have to do it again.

That was a brief look at last week. This week should be another good week leading up to the race on Saturday.