One man, one Sempre

Embarked from the Publix parking lot for my Monday Millhopper loop. It's my favorite ride: 13.5 miles, just under 40 minutes of hard, steady cycling with a few hills to mix it up. There are no intersections and minimal traffic issues. The biggest thing is all the plant debris that piles up in the bike lane  but that's usually not too bad. Did I mention that it's over in less than 40 minutes?

Anyway I headed out at a little harder effort than normal. I noted some people in Department of Corrections orange vests working on the other side of the street. I would have to go out in the road to pass them on the way back. I passed my first check point in good time. There seemed to be a little bit of a tailwind. At this point I was breathing fairly hard, heart rate around 160. At the age of 42 my HR maxes out around 180bpm. To my right some car was getting pulled over by the cops.

Next up were a couple of hills. I focused on staying low on the downhill portions while pedaling in the hardest gear. I tried Paul's trick of nudging the big shifter to prevent chain scrape in this gear. Of course it worked. I made it up to  33.8 mph going down the I-75 overpass hill. A few smaller hills later and I arrived at CR 241, which is my turnaround point. There was a little traffic, but everyone was cool and I weaved through my U-turn.

At this point I was averaging 218 watts. My personal best for this ride was 217 so it was going to come down to how much I had left in the tank. It's funny how when you're tired it feels like you're working so much harder, but you really aren't. I was a little gassed going back up the I-75 hill, but I made it. This is a tough section because there is the I-75 hill. Then it kind of plateaus. But then there is a steady uphill grade for another 100 feet. Finally there is a sharp downhill, followed by a longer uphill. This is definitely the most challenging section of the route.

After the last hill there is just over 10 minutes left in the ride. Mentally it's not too hard to hang in there for another 10 minutes. A go through my final check point in good time, pass the prisoners and the finish line is in sight. At the end I turned right on 43rd to extend the ride another minute and a half to get to an even 40. That way the watts would count for a new 40 minute best. I wound up bettering my previous 30 and 40 minute marks by a little. It doesn't seem like much, but it helps me stay motivated.