Ride Report - Spring Breakaway

Total distance: 67.01 miles
Total time: 5:31
On-bike time: 5:00
On-bike avg mph: 13.4
Avg. mph, incl stops: 12.1
High speed: 25.9 mph

So, that makes it the longest ride I've done to date. The course was very flat, but also cold and very windy. The last few miles were really rough--I was down in my granny gear, less than 10 mph, telling myself lies just to make it to the next curve ("maybe it'll be tailwind this time", "only 2 miles to go now", "oh, wait--NOW there are only 2 miles...", etc). But I made it!

Lessons learned to follow, sorted into pairs by topic.

Saddles
• My saddle angles downward slightly, and it's possibly too far forward. I spent the entire ride slipping forward on the saddle until I couldn't stand it anymore, then pushing back again. I'd be comfortable for about a minute, then would slowly start sliding again. I would have adjusted it, but I forgot to put the multitool back in my bag.
• I need to put the multitool back in my bag.

  Brakes
  

• Brakes have a bolt that attaches them to the frame. When this bolt gets loose, the brakes wobble and rub against the tire, no matter how you position the wheel. (The mechanic that I asked to fix my front brake pre-ride said that he had to tighten it 4 turns.)
  
• Bikes roll much easier when the brakes aren't rubbing the wheel constantly.

  Wind
  

• Even though the route is a loop, the wind keeps blowing in the same direction. If I'm going an equal # of miles in every direction to get back to the start, I'll only have the wind at my back 1/4-1/2 of the distance. The faster I go, the sooner it ends. Time = distance/speed, baby.
  
• In other words...just because I'm comfortable going 25 mph in the strongest tailwind doesn't mean I should. Next time, I think I'll be a bit more conservative, giving myself more time to enjoy it before the next eternal headwind kicks in and makes me hate the world.

  Food
  

• A caramel macchiato, while delicious and chock-full of calories, is maybe not the best pre-ride breakfast for long distances.
  
• Black cherry Shot Bloks are actually pretty tasty, though I couldn't tell if they helped the energy level much. Might have been too little, too late by that time. At least they didn't make me gag...unlike every goo I've ever tried.

  Gear
  

• Specialized makes good gloves. When I bought them, I was afraid that the padding was going to be too thick--I used to have a pair of PI touring gloves with pads of a similar thickness, and I returned them because they made my hands go numb immediately. I bought them anyway, because I couldn't find my other gloves, they were on sale, and the blue ones match my new bike (hee). At any rate, they're super comfy...could be the gel, or maybe the pad placement.
  
• Sugoi RS Flex shorts still rule. I know I mentioned this briefly a little while ago, but it bears repeating.