Century Training - Week 2; Day 6

Week: 2

Day: 6

Ride: Pace
Route: Combination of hills and flats

Scheduled Mileage: 34

Actual Mileage: 34.74

Average Speed: 13.5 mph

Max Speed: 24.6 mph

*Includes city street speed average

Average BPM: 144
Max BPM: 169

Calories: 1137

Random Notes to Self:

• Found a good break spot close to the bicycle lanes on my Hudson River rides - the Pick A Bagel at Battery Park.
• Spring is slowly making its way into Central Park.
• Headwinds are your enemy.

I rode two laps around Central Park this morning before deciding to head west to the Hudson River halfway through my third lap, but not before I took a quick second to capture some welcome hints of spring on my cell phone camera. I really need to start carrying my digital one.

At Frederick Douglass Circle, I exited the park onto 110th Street. My legs, relieved to avoid the merciless incline of The Great Hill, were greeted by an equally unforgiving climb to Amsterdam Avenue. Drat.

Once on Riverside Drive, however, I cruised comfortably along the rolling hills of the Upper West Side to the Hudson River bicycle lanes and pedaled south to Tribeca, where Maddy and I took a little break at a bagel shop. Even though I was in one of Manhattan's wealthiest neighborhoods, I kept a close eye on Maddy while I sipped my Gatorade and munched a Powerbar Protein Plus.

Then, I retraced my pedal strokes, returning north along the Hudson River, facing headwinds all the way to Harlem. At 140th Street, I crossed town to drop by a friend's housewarming brunch just as I passed my 34-mile mark. After a delicious snack and pleasant conversation, I cycled south on Lenox Avenue to 110th Street, where I linked up with Central Park West and followed it to where it becomes Eighth Avenue. A few blocks further south, I took a right and I was home, a grand total of 39.68 miles and 1335 calories later.