Goals are made to be reached

Thirty minutes into my ride last night at Cleveland Park, I looked down at my cyclometer and saw 20.4. This was significant because I set as my goal to average 20 mph for one hour around the established riding circuit in the park. Maybe today was the day!

Yesterday I went to Sunshine Cycle Shop and upgraded my wheel set to some Mavic Kysrium Elites. Now, in the back of my mind I wondered if it was all hype - that lighter wheels could help you go faster and climb better. My ride in the park would give me some indication because I have LOADS of data from past rides.

Once I was past the 30 minute mark, I just told myself to try to hang onto the 20 average until the 45 minute mark. I did it! I was now averaging 20.2.

Then it became a lap-by-lap goal. I kept telling myself, "Hey, it is okay if you go below 20, just don't do it this lap." Once I got into the next lap, I would tell myself the same thing. I also eased up a little to spin for my muscles. This brought me down to 20 even. However, over the last laps I pulled it up once more to finish at 20.2.

First, I realize for a lot of riders an average of 20 mph for an hour in Cleveland Park is no big deal. However, I've stopped comparing myself to other riders (yeah, right) and have tried to focus on my own goals and bettering myself against myself. It was exciting to reach this goal!

Second, was it the wheels? I don't know. When I pick the bike up, I do not notice a large difference in weight, but as soon as I climbed on and started rolling, I sensed a major difference in the way the wheels rolled. The bearings were smoooooth and I felt like I was gliding.

In the end, I averaged 170 on my heart rate with a max during the ride around 180. I spent a lot less time in the upper range of my heart rate (based on a max heart rate of 196) than before. So, I tend to think that it was a combination of things: 1. The wheels did make a difference. 2. I was psychologically up for it. 3. My recent Paris Mountain rides have increased my strength and stamina.

Let's see... what is my next goal? It will have something to do with Paris Mountain.