Wednesday morning. Normally I would do the Glider ride, but I decided to ride solo. Mainly because I'll be out of town the next several days and I wanted to get in a harder workout. Much of a group ride is spent sitting in the draft where the pedaling is relatively easy. Also I planned on getting an early start but I didn't leave the house until 8:15. By coincidence the Gliders were doing the Racetrack loop today which is my normal solo route.

Three minutes from my start point I passed the Chevron station where the Gliders depart. They were milling around. They would be leaving in 10 minutes. I really didn't want to encounter them on the road. There would be awkward explaining and I just wanted to be alone. It would be tough to stay in front of them even with a head start. For one thing my personal route goes a couple of minutes further north on 441 before looping back. That meant I only had a 6 minute cushion.

However I was feeling good. The bike was riding smoothly and seemed more efficient since the Bikes and More overhaul.  The wind was light. I reached the 441 intersection in under 13 minutes which was  a good sign. The light turned green and I surged through with the turning cars. That was good for another minute cushion between me and the other riders because it is next to impossible for all those people to get through the light together.

The weather was perfect at just under 60 degrees. I was wearing these new velcro-less gloves. They just slip on. Christian at B&M turned me on to them last week. My old gloves had borne the brunt of 2 crashes and needed to be retired. The new gloves lack padding which makes them less bulky. That's  a good thing as the padding was kind of superfluous.

I turn on to CR 237 and it's time for my first 5 minute stretch of more intense riding. I do four of these during the Racetrack loop. Anyway I turn it up a notch, but I don't go too crazy so I won't blow up and have those Glider seersuckers  catch me. The part after the 5 minute interval is crucial. Even though I'm tired I can't afford to slow down too much. I keep checking the Italian Bike Mirror for Gliders even though by the time I see them it will be too late.

Traveling east on 156 I look to my right down the road they usually come  up, but I see nothing. I breeze through the next intersection, no cars and up over a couple of hills. I turn it up a little on the hills knowing that some of the laggards on the group ride will slow down the Gliders.

I make it through the next intersection no problemo. It's time for my next 5 minute bug out and I crank it up some. I turn on to CR 225 by the purple house heading south. I'm a minute in half under my usual time at this point. I feel a little tailwind and when I pass the Racetrack sign going 22.9 mph I know I've got a shot at something magical.

This whole time I've been killing it in the watts department averaging over 200W, which for me is good. Sure there are dudes out there who could power a whole town with their mastodon like thighs, but for me this is shaping up to be a personal best for this distance. I finally turn on to 53rd Ave and I'm pretty confident they won't catch me. Even with their end of the ride shenanigans they are nowhere in sight and I'm still feeling good.

So this portion of the ride I typically do 2 minutes of out of the saddle riding alternating with 30 seconds in the saddle all the way from Waldo Rd to 441. I don't know why, it just feels good to change position and it mixes things up a little. The trick is to avoid hitting random debris and wiping out while off the seat. The intersection of 53rd Ave and 441 is in sight. The light has been red a while. I sense that it is about to change and I speed up to try to catch it. If I can make this light without having to slow down or stop it will be like unwrapping a candy bar and finding a golden ticket. Sure enough the light turns green. I'm still a little ways away but I blaze it up being careful to avoid all the crap that is strewn all over this area and I make it through.

At this point I pretty much have a license to print money. I bring it home for the last 3 minutes with a hard solid effort and save the data on the power meter. I look back and still no Gliders. I slowly ride back to my turn off to go home and wait a few minutes. Still nothing. I wonder if someone had a mechanical problem.

Back home when I look at the data, I friggin' crushed my personal best by over 3 minutes clocking in at 1:25:16. Power was also a PR of 201W. Average speed 20.6 mph for just under 30 miles.

This ride was really a perfect storm of everything going right. Number one the Sempre was riding awesome after its repair. Also, I caught lightening in a bottle by not having to stop or really even slow down at a single intersection. Next, the wind was my friend for once laying low except to help me out on CR 225. Finally of course the extra motivation to stay ahead of those wheel slurping Gliders. All in all if this ride was a song it would be on my Greatest Hits album.