Yeessssss!

What a difference a day makes! Monday night I rode and tanked. It was my first night back on the bike after an extended break. Last night was a different story!

I rushed home from work so that I could get in an hour of riding before heading off to my church. This time I determined to pace myself. I slowly worked my way up from a warm up lap until 45 minutes into my ride I was averaging 19.8 mph. At that point, I realized I would definitely finish over 19 mph.

A couple of times I came up on other riders. We began to yoyo and I was tempted to pick up so that I would stay ahead. I fought the desire because that would break my tempo and wear me down. Toward the end I still felt good enough to come out of the saddle and crank it up the climbs. Sure, I felt like puking when I got to the top, but that went away and I finished with a 19.7 mph average! My best time yet!

Three points away from my goal. I'll tell you though, it is going to be tough. The only places for me to pick up speed are on the climbs and the flat sections. I'm going as fast as I can down the hills.