Today started out gorgeous - temp was around 70F, nothing but blue skies. After dropping Alana of at Ana's parents, we decided to park at a different spot then normal (Ana had never ridden south of Clearwater) so we parked at Taylor Park, which is off 8th Avenue in Largo. This is in a pretty decent location and has easy access to the trail. Unfortunately, we had a few things working against us today. For one, I was hungry, I ate a zone bar and drank a G1. Two, I was feeling the effects of the antibiotic that I have been takingm which cramped me up around mile 10, which was about Tyrone Square Mall. At that point do I suck it up and finish going the next 2.5 miles, or do I just turn around. Hell NO I kept going! Three, I had worked on our condo for about 8 hours and then working on Shawn's bike replacing all his major components, till about 2am and woke up around 7:30, so I was tired. Despite these minor annoyances, I had a great ride. On the way down, there was a crosswind which fought me, but it was sunny and warm. Heading south from Largo really maximizes the amount of overpasses that you ride, some of them are pretty challenging (the one over Park St is one of the longest climbs in the system, and it is followed by another climb less than 1/10 of a mile away.
When I reached the 12.5 mile point, I did get to witness the first drug deal I had seen on the trail, followed by watching the purchasers begin to use their goods. All from the comfort of a nice park bench that let me rest a few minutes, pop some sports beans and a G1.
I got back on the bike and headed North. It only took about 5 cranks to discover that the north wind had cooled significantly and suddenly clouds rolled in and the temperature cooled off almost 15F from where it was when I started. Oye.
I finally made it back to the car, hungry and tired. I felt great and Ana and I headed off O'Keefe's for some tasty burgers.
Ride Stats and Map:
Started: Jan 15, 2011 12:20:24 PM
Ride Time: 1:35:43
Stopped Time: 11:53
Distance: 24.83 miles
Distance Bike Computer: 25.12 miles
Average: 15.56 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 22.76 miles/h
Fastest Speed Bike Computer: 26.5 mph
Climb: 99 feet (this number is a joke, Ulmerton's overpass alone is nearly 60 feet high)
Calories: 1714
Average Heart Rate: 163 bpm
Maximum Heart Rate: 185 bpm
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