I read somewhere that it takes only two weeks of not riding for a cyclist to lose moost of his or her fitness. I haven’t been on the bike much since December so I’ve been waiting for the day that I know my fitness is gone. Today was that day.
But it was such a beautiful day. Perfect for riding – sunny, temps in the high 50s, windy but not too windy. It should have been a great ride.
It was a lousy ride. The first ten miles went fine. I rode near the front, kept up on the hills, and never felt like I was working too hard. Then I completely fell apart. My legs hurt, my back hurt, my lungs hurt. My concentration was completely gone.
We ended up doing 34 miles. I was ecstatic to see the parking lot.
A nutrition note: I had a package of Clif Shot Bloks in my jersey pocket. They are gummi foodlike things for the athletically inclined. At one point I put one in my mouth and soon realized that I would need a gallon of water and a stout toothbrush to clear my mouth of their gummi-ness. The flavor’s not bad, but the texture is another thing all together. It’s like some gummi from hell that will not go down without a fight.