On Friday, December 27, 2019 at 4:23:54 PM UTC-8, Tom Kunich wrote:
As I probably misplaced in Andre's string, I have decided to train in the winter for power. I can't remember doing this before but I must have done so.

I had a couple of toutes that are between 20 and 30 miles and I do a fast first half. Stop for coffee and donut and then a fast return. 24 miles ends up being about 2 hours with the stop.

When I started a couple of weeks ago I was averaging between 11 and 11.5 mph. Yesterday I was a git sore from Tuesday so I tried to take it a little easier. Tuesday's average was 14 mph and Thursday's was 14,75. There are a couple of rises that I was slowing down on and I'm not slowing down nearly as much now.

So let's see how this winter progresses and then when the weather improves I'll do some endurance rides since early April is a century. Last August my younger brother dropped me like the layer of dust on his bike. But he ran out of steam 10 miles from the end. But that ain't the way he tells it.

So, lets see how it goes.

It was colder than a well diggers butt this morning. I started worrying about my usual ride since I have done it in conditions like this and hit black ice which was totally invisible. I didn't fall but I would just as soon not now that everything is sore all the time.

So I did my power ride and AGAIN I kicked the time down. Average speed this time was 15.3 mph. I can't believe that I'm learning the spots to pour it on since I've been over this route 1,000 times.

Going from an average of 11.5 to 15.3 in less than a month seems to me to be to be unlikely as hell but I notice on rises and the like where I would slow to near 8 mph before than I am riding over at 13 or 14 mph.

I will continue this sort of thing most of the winter since it's a lot better than riding rollers. Whether this is actually causing improvement or not I'll only be able to tell after I can try it on longer rides or hard climbing rides.

This time there were several spots that slowed me down that usually wouldn't - there is a driveway that is normally the exit for a Oakland International Airport long term parking lot. I have to be careful there since cars can come flying out of it and it is a blind approach. This time there was a bus blocking the entire bike trail. As I slowed to about 12 he pulled out. I proceeded forward and he had his right turn signal on for the next turn so I came almost to a stop and he waited. Finally I kicked it and went across the intersection and it turned out to probably not have slowed me anyway since the next light a block away turned green as I approached.

I would be a terrible track racer since I cannot for the life of me hold a steady speed.