Geeky Bob

There's not much to say about today's ride; I hadn't ridden in a week because I had been out of town for a family emergency. (Although I hopped on a stationary bicycle in the fitness center of my hotel a couple of times; I configured the stationary bicycle's settings for an hour-long workout at it's hardest level, and at the end of the hour I was definitely feeling like I had ridden the 16.5 miles that the stationary bicycle said I had completed.)

In any event, I went for my usual ride from my house through Saguaro National Park and home again. My pace was a couple of minutes slower than normal, but not too bad.

There were a few joggers and a single cyclist in the park, but no cars, which is always nice. (Trying to pass cars on the narrow, winding road through the park is no fun.)

I spent a lot of the time riding through the park focusing on hill training skills; for example, keeping my cadence higher by downshifting earlier. The big hill on Riparian Ridge pushed my heart rate higher than normal, as it always does, but for the most part my heart rate stayed below 160bpm.

Due to the earlier sunset these days, I was racing the daylight to get home before I was engulfed by darkness, but I managed to make it home just after the sun had descended over the Tucson Mountains to the west of town.

Ride Stats:

• Primary Statistics:
  • Start Time: 4:30pm
  • Distance: 16.8 miles
  • Duration: 1:04:37
  • Calories Burned: 676 kcal
  • Altitude Gain: 823 feet
• Speed:
  • Average Speed: 15.6 mph
  • Peak Speed: 32.6 mph
  • Average Cadence: 59.0 rpm
• Temperature:
  • Average: 65.6 F
  • Minimum: 62.6 F
  • Maximum: 71.6 F
• Heart Rate:
  • Average: 157 bpm
  • Maximum: 174 bpm