Two days of tough riding. Friday's Racetrack loop was windy and cold. At some points I was just going 15mph into a straight headwind. I finished over 10 minutes slower than my best time and my feet were numb from the cold. On the commute in to work that afternoon I noted all the cars heading south on 34th St. Students leaving town on Veteran's Day weekend. Sure enough it was a mostly laid back evening at work.

Saturday morning I planned on riding the Hawthorne trail  but I had to wait until 11 for it to warm up. I wondered how the Cyclist on Fire was doing on his camping trip. Finally I set out after it had warmed up to 65 F. Since I had nothing better to do I set a goal of breaking my 2 hour watts record on the bike. My previous record was set when I had skipped my usual Friday ride. I had no idea how my legs would respond after the tiring Racetrack outing in the wind. I'm not one of those people that rides crazy distances day after day.

Anyway I entered the trail head knowing I had to best 159 watts for 2 hours. It's not really that hard compared to the intensity of the 90 minute Racetrack ride. I started out and things were going smoothly. I decided to try to ride a little harder to give myself a cushion. Heading out of the Hammock I sped up to 28 mph in honor of the CoF. At one point I got into a minor tiff while passing another cyclist. She did not appreciate me waiting to announce my presence until I was right behind her.

I made it to the halfway point in 52 minutes and change, averaging 177 watts. I looped around started the ride back. My joints were starting to get sore. I've mentioned this before, but for the life of me I can't understand why many cyclists like to ride 3 to 5 hours. It's just not that interesting of a sport.You're sitting there crouched over doing the same motion over and over. Anyway I was getting bored, missing the camaraderie of the usual Saturday ride where the CoF and I spend time shooting the breeze.

Just then I noticed an alarming stinging coming from my pee hole. I tried repositioning my shorts and did a cursory examination while riding. I tried to fight it off because my 2 hour watts record was within reach but I still had nearly an hour to go and the stinging would not abate. I stopped the bike and urinated hoping that a speck of dirt or something was caught in there. It would have been just my luck that a family with little kids or some women's cycling group would have rounded the corner with me, dick in hand, with steaming urine flowing into the breeze scrutinizing the tip of my pecker.

Luckily it was mission accomplished without any spectators.  The stinging subsided and I resumed the ride. By the time I exited out on to Waldo road I was down to 167 average watts, but still well above my previous mark of 159. However, I still had 15 minutes to kill before I reached the 2 hour mark. I headed up Waldo Road towards University Ave. The trick was to keep riding because each time I stop or slow down for traffic I lose watts in a major way. I crossed over Waldo near the spot of the CoF's foot catastrophe earlier this year, veered over to 9th St and heading towards 23rd Ave.

All the maneuvering cost me and I was down to 162 average watts for the ride. I pass the CoF's street and hang a left on to 23rd. I still have 3 minutes to burn and I'm riding the wrong way down the sidewalk. Sure enough there is some mentally handicapped dude riding an adult tricycle with one of those giant orange flags heading my way. I have no where to go. There is traffic on the street. I can't get around this dude. I have to take an emergency left into some random neighborhood to prevent stopping and losing more watts. At this point the whole thing has become an exercise in ridiculousness. I look back and the tricycle dude turned as well and is now following me. Mercifully, I finally hit the 2 hour mark. My coveted 2 hour watts record secured I head over to Bikes and More.

At B&M I talk to Paul about adjusting shifters and how to keep my bike from making a scraping sound when in the hardest gear. I wish I was one of those guys that was naturally good at fixing stuff and understood mechanics but it's never going to happen. At the end of the day my strengths come down to being able to eat huge amounts of sugar, petting cats and figuring out how to get  insurance to cover your diarrhea medicine.

Anyway Paul loaned me a giant Allen wrench to make it easier for me to change pedals on my bikes so I can wear my winter cycling boots on the Sempre when it really cold (ie the 30's in Florida).

click to enlarge

So this is my peak power data. Next Wednesday I'll take another shot at besting my 10 minute mark.