Holiday bike run

It's Ascention day and today I'm therefore a Catholic, since it gets me the day off work. Up at 7am(showing Protestant work ethic). Checked the bike and tyres and my prayers were answered as they were still OK. Nice work for a confirmed Atheist.

I had a big breakfast of museli and a cup of hot chocolate whilst watching British MP's defending their expenses on TV. A powerbar and a powergel down my neck and I'm off. I'd almost settled on doing a repeat fo the brick session from last weekend 70K bike and 17k run. I headed down towards Namur, hardly any wind and traffic was extremely quiet.

I started to hear a rattling noise around 25k mark and I stopped as it was obviously something loose and I was going to lose it if I didn't tighten it up. It was the Frame bolt that holds on one of my bottle cradles. About 30 seconds and its tight and I take a quick drink. I'm stiff just from that short stop and it takes a few minutes and the next hill to get back in the groove.

I finish the first 35K in 1:12 which is 4 minutes faster than last week but it was windier then. I turn round and head back. I again get a second wind about the 50K mark and get a little respite by drafting a tractor for 2-3K at 30KMPH.

Then near disaster, some mad bastardo in an HGV truck passes me on the N93 and obviously hadn't seen me as he hadn't moved out at all. I get blown right into the kerb and gutter and as the back of the truck roars passed me and my bike wobbles the tarpaulin from the truck just clips me on the shoulder. I only just manage to stay upright.

The red mist descends and it spurs me on in the hope I catch him at the lights and I have visions of dragging him from the cab , putting the bread on him and then me using my cleats on his teeth. I put the hammer down and manage to keep him in my sights for a while but at the next lights sadly he is nowhere to be seen.

I get to 65K and I'm OK apart from a little back ache. I decide to go a little longer and take a right off the N5 and head towards Rixensart. I've been trying to use the new Tri Bars on and off but am finding them way too twitchy. The bike doesn't feel stable as my leg motion is causing the bike to move side to side. Using them on the bumpy roads is also very difficult and the bike moves across the road when you hit bumps.

I'll give it another go at the weekend but they may be getting dropped. I'm sure you could get used to them but I'd need more practice miles on them and certainly better road surfaces. They are no use on hills and the fact I need to take my hand off them to change gear or brake makes them more trouble than they are worth at this late stage.

I drop into Lasne past the police station and then head over the Hedgehog hill and up the killer hill towards Ohain and then Ransbeeke following my 20K time trial route. I finish with just over 88K on the clock and a time of 3:05:32. So nice enough run but nothing earth shattering pace wise. However its still well under my 3:30 target so I'm happy.

Average speed 28.1 kmph
Max Speed 59.1 kmph
Average Cadence 85 RPM
Max Cadence 122 RPM
Total Climb 2974ft
Average Heart Rate 131....nice, just ticking over.

I don't run as its close to lunchtime and I fancy a nice lunch and a enjoy whats left of a real day off. We're off to Le Petit Fis for lunch....

After my shower I see I've a couple of blisters on my right foot but my left is fine. I'm pretty much recovered in 20 minutes. I can hardly feel I've been out.