Riding, Apr, 14 -- Lake Weir x2 -- stinking dump trucks

On Good Friday the office closed at lunch time. After lunch, I headed home and took a long ride, as the family was on a field trip that day.

I needed to get some serious distance, so I decided to go south, and then ride twice around Lake Weir. I had checked out an alternate route to get to Lake Weir, and decided to try it, so that my ride would not be an out and back kind of a route. Somehow, a loop just feels better.

The ride out and the first lap around Lake Weir went really smoothly. Around Sunset Harbor at the southwest corner of Lake Weir, I even got a thumbs up from a woman in an SUV. Having ridden at a reasonable pace yesterday, I felt good and was riding well up the hills.

There were some issues with motorists along the east and north edges of the lake. On the east side, one or two cars honked or rolled down a window to yell. Along the north edge, there is no shoulder and there was more traffic going towards town that I would have expected for that time of day. A couple of dump trucks and a truck carrying cement block came a little closer that I was comfortable with.

The second lap went smoothly. I got another thumbs up at Sunset Harbor, this time from a guy. That must be the most cyclist-friendly area of the county.

Along the eastern edge of the lake, I had a couple more rude cars. I came back up through Silver Springs Shores and bypassed the north side of the lake and the traffic.

The ride back was smooth. I used a little bit of the Baseline Trail to make sure that I hit my goal of 60 miles.

The family was home by the time I got there, and we enjoyed dinner together. A good way to spend the afternoon/evening.

Here are the map and profile:





And here are the stats:

Computer:
4:14:51
60.63 miles
14.2 mph avg.
30.8 mph max.

HRM:
4:33:26
144 avg. HR
169 max. HR
3:30:03 in target range
0:17:00 above target range
1:06:08 below target range

So, on a ride where at least the distance matches the typical day at BRAG, I was able to maintain a reasonable pace while riding solo. At the same time, I was able to do it at exertion levels that are maintainable. I don't know how the hills compare to what I will face in Georgia, but this route was not flat. I picked it because it has some rolling hills.

It makes me optimistic that I will be able to hold my own at BRAG. Now, I just need to keep developing endurance so that I will be able to ride like this for 7 straight days.

Tags: training, bicycle, cycling, bike, Ocala, GPS, Silver Springs Shores, BRAG