SUNNY & WARM

94 kms | 3 h 51 m | 24.6 avg km/h | 2.378 kcal | 155 avg heart rate

Today was the first sunny and warm ride of the year. The temperature went all the way up to 18 degrees which is perfect for cycling. I did a very nice ride along the Lekdijk and back via Amerongen. Got some hills on the way and could keep up the pace of other riders climbing the Overbeg. Good day on the bike.

Hoje foi o primeiro dia de sol e calorzinho do ano. A temperatura subiu até os 18 graus, o que é perfeito para ciclismo.  Eu fiz uma volta muito boa seguindo o Lekdijk e retornando por Amerongen. Peguei algumas subidas e consegui acompanhar outros ciclistas na subida mais forte. Um bom dia na bicicleta.

Because I was training alone today I could leave home at any time. Looking at the weather forecast I decided to leave around 9 am to avoid getting 3 degrees morning cold. When I left the sun was already shining strong and it was around 10 degrees. From home I wanted to try a new way to get to the Lekdijk. As the name gives a hint, the road is on top of a dike that follow the Lek river.

From the  top of the dike you can see kilometers and kilometers from the high point. It is a great view and exposed to the wind. Which is good for training. Most of the time I got cross and head wind from Utrecht to Wijk bij Duursteed and the way down to Amerongen, where I left the dike. I always went to Amerongen by the inside rodas thru Zeist, Maarn and Doorn but this way is much better.

I went thru Overbeg and climbed it from both sides. The hardest side was interesting. I started following the pace of a guy that looked strong. Skinny and tall. He started very strong keeping 28 km/h but started going down to 23 km/h when the gradient went to 6%. At that point I overtook him with my heart rate pushing 184 bpm. When I was passing him he said something. But the only thing I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears…

The rest back home was a uneventful ride. I kept the rhythm at around 70 bpm and heart rate around 160 to 165 bpm. Speed was around 30 to 32 kms/h and I could feel the muscles in the leg working. Keeping the cadence low and the effort high means you are not spinning but really pushing the pedals. Great ride that bring back a bit of confidence. The power is there, what I need to train is endurance.