Ride Report 9/4

32 miles ARBT north access to Elverta Rd, E Levee Rd, Ueda Bike Path to Discovery Park thru Old Sac & home

Today I take the route I meant to take on the first. The computer has been calibrated to the narrower tire size and all is right with the world. I'm getting kind of tired of all the surface streets that cross the north path, but it's not the ARBT, which I have been dreading for the last several weeks because I've ridden it so damn many times. Unfortunately, I took my ride late in the day today (I left around noon), and I start to run into packs of high school age kids spread across the path and completely ignoring the world. The group that does know I'm coming gives me about a foot of path to pass them on. The groups that don't respond to "Bike, Bike, BIKE!" as I'm coming up behind them get cursed at as I have to ride on the dirt beside the path to pass them.

At the end of the trail, I can't stand the thought of passing even more teenagers blocking the path, so I cut across Elverta Road to E Levee and go south to Discovery Park. On the ARBT, I experiment to find my max heartrate and start pedaling as fast and hard as I can. At 23mph I hit 187bpm and feel like I'm going to puke. My legs feel like rubber, so I let off after maybe 30 seconds. The mystified cyclist that I blasted past half a mile back breezes past me as I whimper into Discovery Park at about 14mph. My heartrate yesterday was 186 in 17th gear at 89rpm.

I stop long enough to stop the nauseated feeling and start to limp home through Old Sacramento. Naturally, I get a flat (my 2nd on the Gatorskins) to repair on my back tire. Not impressed with the Gatorskins so far.

Note to self: When experimenting with max heartrate, do it when I'm almost home, not with six miles to go.