Sweating to the...

[Ravenshire]

Came out of work today to an expected high of 84 degrees, and an actual high of 95, so despite changing from work attire to riding duds, I said fuck it and drove home. Waited longer than I intended, and didn't get started until after dark. Head and tail lights fully charged and sticking mostly to bike paths and suburban side roads, so no problem there, well, except for the possibility of coyotes on about 80% of the trails. Never saw one, but it stayed in my mind and I cruised rather quickly through the areas of highest possibilities.

I did 11.4 miles tonight, bringing my 5 day total to 58.1, and an average of 11.62.

[Ravenshire]

Thursday night I got in an 11.2 mile ride, and got these two sites before it got too dark for decent photos.





And, West Lake. Yet another of the many lakes/reservoirs around the area.



Due to other commitments, and mostly to poor planning, I didn't ride Friday or Saturday. This morning I got up, got moving, and did 17.8 miles. Only two scenic stops on this trip. First, Plaster Reservoir:


A little further on, McKay Lake:


Despite living here along the front range for so long, I am still continually impressed by the beauty of the area.

I'm right at 84 miles since I started logging, but thanks to the two days off, I'm only averaging 9.4 per day.

As an aside, love it or hate it, 80s hair metal has great energy for exercising to!

[Ravenshire]

24!

I'm not sure I ever did 24 miles at a go, even as a kid. Probably more in a day, but not all at once.

First stop: Since I already did West Lake, today was East Lake. As the name suggests, it's a fair bit further east than West Lake. And, there's an island in the middle, though it's not apparent from this shot.


A few of the locals:


And a better view of that island:


This was the only other stop, and just for the view. I never get tired of looking at the Flatirons, and the Front Range behind them. Bonus, the air was much more clear today.


All in all, a great ride, bringing my total over 10 days to 108 miles and my daily average (10.8) back above 10 where I hope to keep it.

Musical notes: 1973 had some great music. Most of it sucks for cycling to! 
The bright spot being Ronnie James Dio doing roadhouse blues with his first band, Elf.

[Jackalope]

Busy boat day. Aside from the usual, I did my 800m swim test in the bay. The current was decidedly not in my favor. My instructor liked my time, I didn't ask how I scored, only completion and the aggregate score matters.

[Ravenshire]

So, I took the third off, then did back-to-back 15 mile rides, and my legs were fucked. I could feel the lactic acid in my thighs for a couple weeks. I got in my first ride since the 5th. Just an 'easy' 10.81 mile loop in Parker, Co. The first three miles were fucking brutal, taking almost 20 minutes. I almost called it at the 2.5 mile mark, but decided to push through. Boy am I glad I did. My total time was a respectable 56 minutes, averaging 11.6 MPH, for part of the loop cruising at close to 30.

Tomorrow, of I don't suffer a setback from pushing it today, I'm going to do a 10 mile around Cherry Creek State Park. Lots of awesome views there, so I'll be pausing along the way for photos.

[Ravenshire]

Pushing through has most definitely been the right decision. Rides starting with Cherry Creek state park have gotten progressively more comfortable. On Friday I set a new best for average speed going almost 11 miles at 13/mph. Yeah, it's not exactly Olympic caliber, but then again I'm on the wrong side of 50 and just over five years removed from a 35 year pack-a-day addiction who, two years ago, thought diminishing resistance curls to be difficult exercise.

Wed. was my first time riding Cherry Creek state park, and I learned to my dismay that most of the near approaches to the lake are restricted to walking/hiking only, but I did manage a few good photos.

Looking east from near the dam:


Pike's Peak from the north of the lake:


The south end of town looking west from the "Swim Beach" area:


And, one of the local residents spotted on the way out.


No photo worthy rides since, but there's still tons to see.