Tried to do 85 miles after not only not having ridden for a while, but with a major change to my bike fit. My saddle's been too low for a very long time, which built up my hamstrings but weakened my quads. With my saddle where it is now, my quads were finally called into action, but they tired out too quickly. I ended up doing only 63 miles.
More after the break…
Part 1: Ountbound
I started at about 5:00 AM as usual, then headed south through Downtown, taking a brief pause to look at the Alaskan Way Viaduct's current state. At multiple points, I heard sirens from emergency responses.
Finally got to see the Alaskan Way Viaduct demolition for myself. It's interesting seeing such a major change happen in my lifetime.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
My route was the usual one along 1st Avenue S, 4th Avenue S, and East Marginal Way S.
It became significantly colder once I got into Tukwila. The Urban Heat Island Effect is real!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
Going on a cold Winter morning ride. #cycling #333fab @ Tukwila, Washington https://t.co/0CZ9qMJIsr
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
There were more sirens in Tukwila, too. What was going on?
There were a ton of emergency responses in the areas I was riding through. Not sure what was going on.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
For a while, I'd been progressively adding more layers to warm up until I was in full rain gear. Thankfully, after the Sun was in the sky as I arrived to the Interurban Trail, I was able to stay warm without much effort.
It's finally starting to warm up.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
When I got to 15th Ave NW, I jumped over to the C Street Trail, then passed by the still closed City of Pacific Park.
Still not sure why this park is closed. It looks fine.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
Flood protection in winter - the big wall of sandbags keeps the river from overflowing the park into residential areas. Only works if they close the wall across the park entrance.
— Josh Putnam (@j_putnam) March 3, 2019
After riding along local streets for a while, I made it to the Sumner Link Trail.
And then hit Sumner. I felt like it'd be a good chance to eat something other than the burritos I've been packing as of late, so I looked for a cafe. In the past, I hadn't had much luck in Sumner, but I saw a sidewalk sign advertising the Sumner Cafe, so I checked it out.
It's been a while. (@ City of Sumner in WA) https://t.co/ud4a867sHP pic.twitter.com/cIPUaAtLkj
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
I got the feeling that the folks running it weren't too experienced, but it was still a nice break nonetheless.
Cute little place run by one guy. (@ The Sumner Café in Sumner, WA) https://t.co/8iCjFpwOfl pic.twitter.com/uzC3rXi4H9
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
Part 2: Return via Auburn
I started heading back home once done at the cafe, and discovered that the old truss bridge had been replaced by a new bridge still under construction.
Looks like they're replacing the old bridge.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
Once I started heading north, I noticed the constant howl from a headwind. After fighting it for long enough, I decided that it might be a good idea to catch a bus back to Seattle.
The headwind right now is pretty tough.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
I finally got rid of the knee pain with the saddle where it is now, but my muscles aren't used to it yet and are pretty weak after all the riding thus far. Barely maintaining 12 MPH against the wind. #cycling
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
Fitness drops off so quickly. Guess it's time to start planning shorter rides and building up my range again. @MAndersson1968
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
I did try to ride to Kent, but decided against it when I got about halfway between Auburn and Kent, and turned around to head for Auburn Station instead.
80 loaded miles was a bit hasty after months of nothing near that magnitude, but 100km should still be doable! (@ Auburn Station & Transit Center in Auburn, WA) https://t.co/oIKHztaTtq pic.twitter.com/pBw7Qak6JH
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
Part 3: Return Home
I felt better after getting off the bus in Downtown Seattle, and decided to add enough distance to meet the 100km mark. That meant heading over to the western end of the SR-520 Trail.
Lots of people out on bikes today! #cycling #seabikes
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
Feeling a bit better. #cycling #seabikes @ Washington Park Arboretum https://t.co/V3UzvQmjxd
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
After a quick stop there, I rode back to Fremont to chat with my local bike shop.
Today I learned that Sugino is going out of business. #cycling
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
It also means that my favorite crank is no longer available: the Sugino XD2 triple (usually branded 350, 500, or 600). There aren't many 110/74mm BCD trriple cranks left on the market, and none of them are as cheap as the XD2.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 2, 2019
And then rode home, very tired.
Now that my knee pain has been resolved, there's a new problem: my quads have atrophied a bit with my saddle being too low over the years. Now that they're being called into duty after that, they tire out much more quickly than my hamstrings.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 3, 2019
I know that it's right this time because any knee pain I had before pedaling would go away while pedaling. It's been years since that happened!
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 3, 2019
I saw lots of standing water while out yesterday. Probably remnants of the snow from a couple weeks ago.
— 竹下憲二 (@takeshita_kenji) March 3, 2019
No comments:
Post a Comment