The intent on Saturday morning was to join the cycle team of my employer on a 27 mile ride just a few miles north of my residence.

The reality was a solo bicycle ride of about 14 miles.

Jennifer joined me on this ride and just a shy 1.4 miles into the ride suffered a flat tire on her rear wheel. After a quick rescue (thanks to my faithful F-150) we learned how to fix the flat via a process of trail and error. We knew the fundamentals but neither of us had changed a tire before. We made a quick phone call to Team Felt member Joel who provided a few key details that resulted in a successful replacement of the expired tube.

Since the cycling team was long gone, we had decided to do the 20 mile Timberwood Park loop. Just as we were about to get started, Jennifer took a fall and suffered the searing pain that accompanies falling onto pavement littered with loose gravel and rocks. A couple nearby had a First Aid kit and were kind enough to let us borrow it.

Needless to say, Jennifer’s appetite for riding that morning was gone. I too am a big believer that when the bad kharma pays you a visit, it’s best to heed the warning.

Since it was already getting toasty, I decided to do an abbreviated version of the 20 mile loop which I’d seen on one of our cycling team’s road maps. A 14-mile jaunt on low-traffic, backcountry roads.

I had a blast! Despite the heat, it was an enjoyable, peaceful 14 miles. I pushed myself to make up for the shorter distance by attacking hills standing up on the bike and trying to maintain an average of 16-17mph. According to the Garmin Edge 305HR, I succeeded with a 16.3mph average speed!

In addition, I burned 903 calories with an average heart rate of 154bpm and more than 40 minutes in the target heart rate zone. Not too shabby!

Here are the ride details:
Abbreviated Timberwood Park Loop (courtesy Motionbased.com)

Overall, a peaceful ride despite the heat of almost an hour!