20 MPH Average Speed Achieved

Wednesday afternoon was a rather warm 100+ degrees with remarkably low humidity.  

Monday, Labor Day, was lost to cleaning up from camping, and Tuesday was catching up.  My ride from the office last week was noteable in that my ride home netted a 19.1 MPH average - my best yet. That ride wasn't going to happen this week, and so by Wednesday I had the need to be on 2 wheels.

The road bike raised its hand highest, so we ventured out together into the afternoon heat.  The chosen route wound through the back of Pleasant Hill, touched a corner of Lafayette, and finally launched us up Danville Blvd. around 5:00pm.  Traffic was predictable, legitimizing the trek through the more hilly back roads at the beginning of the ride.  The pace was not leisurely.  My goal was a 20 MPH average speed.  I was set up for it approaching Crow Canyon road - with 22 miles in just over 1 hour.  My average was shy of 20, but the elevation was in my favor, now sitting approx. 450' higher than home.

It wasn't meant to be.  I launched my attack, to attain those 1 - 2 miles per hour.  The traffic lights were against it, along with the wind.  The hills from the beginning of the ride soon leered over my left shoulder as I labored through the valley traffic.  

In spite of the wind - without the traffic it would likely have been sufficient effort.  But alas, it was not in liquid crystal, so it didn't count.  The final count was 41 miles and 18.5 MPH - including stops at 2/3 of the stop lights.

The next opportunity was Saturday morning, as a group of us from church elected to ride our bikes the 15 miles from Concord to Alamo for a men's prayer breakfast.  Driving to Concord was no option, so 6:30am passed with the wind breezing through my helmet.  I got it.  OK, so it was only 5.5 miles to Concord, but I did get it.  20.1 MPH off the starting block first thing in the morning.  

The balance of the ride was leisurely and I forgot to stop my computer at Tony's house, so by the time I looked at the computer after the meeting it said 5MPH average.  No big deal.  I got to see it in liquid crystal.  

Now for 25.