Over the past few months I've been learning more about cycling, and going on progressively longer and cooler rides with a mountain bike fitted with semi road tires and some plastic foot straps (both make a huge difference). My friend Matt, who's been cycling for years, has been kind enough to take me under his wing and show me a lot of great rides in the Silicon Valley peninsula area, as well as a lot of information about bicycle maintenance and cycling techniques.
This past week I got my first real road bike, a 2007 Trek Madone SL 5.2 (I know, a bit overkill, but I got a great deal since the 2008 models were redesigned), and thought it would be fun to start keeping track of my rides. Here we go!
Today Matt lead us on a nice loop through Portola Valley, including a beautiful side track down Olive Lane. Previously I had taken Whiskey Hill Rd directly to Portola, but this time we road up Cañada, made a left on Olive Hill as a way to meander back to Portola; a beautiful detour! As usual, the weather was great (80 degrees and sunny), and the air filled with the aroma of eucalyptus trees.
Here's the route (excluding some details of getting to and from house).
The new bike was incredible: I was coasting at 30 mph down hills, and gliding at 20mph on the flats without a ton of effort (both incomprehensible on my mountain bike). Having real pedals that clip directly into my shoes makes a huge difference too. I no longer fear my feet flailing off my pedals when hitting a bump on downhills, and can get a lot more out of each pedal stroke by pulling upward and pushing backwards with my feet.
The Stats:
Distance: 36 miles
Ride time: 2:28
Speed: 14.8 mph avg, 33.8 mph max
Heart Rate: 146 bpm avg, 175 max
Calories burned (according to my heart rate monitor): 2011
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