Ouch... last night was too much for Martin and I paid for it today. I was at this dinner party and had cocktails, beer and then wine with dinner and guess what I did not have - water. It does not take a genius to do that math; I was hurting today.

On my way down to Leschi I swear I was trying to ride 'soft' so that the bumps in the road would not jostle my brain so much. Pretty hilarious in hindsight but I was totally serious at the time. When I arrived at Leschi everyone was chatting it up per usual and I just sat there silent and glum. I proposed my route and off we went.

The hills at the north end of Lake WA are really nice. They are all about one half to one mile long and the incline is just right meaning that you can actually ride up them kinda easy if you have/want to but they are steep enough so that you can get a good workout for sure. My goal next year is to be a better climber so I figured that a few hills all the time, even when I'm not going hard, is a good thing.

Finally, after some sweating and drinking my hangover subsided enough for me to carry on a pleasant conversation with the bunch. It was Jim K, Dan B, his coach/mentor, RC R and Todd M on their fixed gears, Charley D and a couple of others.

After hill mania we got to I-90 and everyone except Dan and one other guy pulled off. The three of us finished up the ride with a loop around the south end. This is where we got rained on but it was also some much needed flat riding.

The pace was mellow today and so I stayed at the front all the time. At first to KEEP it that way and then later just to stay there and somehow maximize the benefit of this ride in my little brain. Coming home on Rainier I did speed up and managed a good pull all the way up to Rainier Beach.

Bianchi Volpe, 38/50, 12-25

God this is a great bike! Heavy as hell (30 + lb. at least) but SO damn useful and comfortable and practical. The bonus is it makes my race bike feel like a feather come March. All part of Martin's secret training plan...