Week 14

Date
April 3, 2017

Distance
100 miles

Strava Link
Week 14

Route Map/Profile

Weather

Ride Video

Ride Report 
I went and did the Spooner Summit climb for the first time since probably October or November. I was a little bit worried because there was construction at the bottom of the highway and it was one lane, but that didn't last very long and I ended up having a lot of fun on the climb. There's a lot of sand in the shoulders still, so be careful out there.

I ended up doing this ride with the aerobars on just to see how that felt on the climb. I didn't really miss not being able to ride on the tops as much as I thought I would. By this point I'm pretty much used to it and riding on the hoods is my new default climbing position. I'm also used to the extra weight in the front and climbing out of the saddle feels normal again. At this point in the year I'm so out of climbing shape that I definitely don't feel slower because of the extra weight of the aerobars. Look at the elevation profile. Today's route is a good example of a day where any time lost going slower on the climb will be gained back by going faster on the flats. There were plenty of flat roads for gaining back time on today's route. My Ride America South to North route in June also fits that description.

Speaking of Ride America South to North, I just bought a lot of small stuff so my bike will be ready. I got new bottom bracket, new cables/housing, a new chain, and some new tires. My Hutchinson Intensive tubeless tires finally wore out. I found a good deal on some Panaracer Evo 3 tubeless tires, so I'm going to give those a shot over the next 2 months and see how they perform. I would definitely feel comfortable just getting some new Intensive tires and using those for the ride, so it's no big deal if I don't end up liking the Panaracers.