30 Mile Time Trial

I got a new battery for my cycle-computer and replaced the rear tube that suffered the blow-out the other day on my Motobecane road bike.  When I hit that stone on the bike trail it actually cut holes in the side walls of the tire so I replaced them with an older set of 700 X 25mm Bontragers I had laying around.  They might not be quite as fast as the 23mm tires I was using but they sure ride better.

As my work day progressed I formulated a plan to take off heading west from town on a road that runs relatively straight with few stops for about 17 miles.  I did intend to push for time and once I got underway I felt good and noticed the wind was coming from the south.  The perfect setup for an out and back route keeping the wind always at my side and removing the huge mental burden that a steady headwind presents.

The route takes me past an old one-room school house that has been pictured in these blog pages before.  As I neared the familiar structure I noticed something wasn't quite right.  As I got closer I saw with dismay that the recent wind storm had blown out the east wall of the school.  Without structural support the roof is starting to sag. 
   

A portion of the west wall was already missing and since the high winds blew in from the west I imagine the pressure build up was incredible inside the room and the old masonry just couldn't take it anymore.  The picture below shows the three tall window frames laid out perfect and some of the bricks are still oriented just as they were in the wall.  Sadly I think the history of this 100+ year old schoolhouse will soon be coming to a close.

I stopped just long enough to take a few pictures and then hammered on down the road.  I took the shot below on the 15 mile leg out.  At one point I nudged my average up to 17.8 mph but on the return my speed dropped to the lower 17's as the dull ache crept into my muscles.  After about mile 23 I was really starting to suffer but it's the good kind of hurt.  I kept my speed up and the miles ticked by which motivated me to keep the pressure on and I ended up rolling into the driveway much sooner than I had anticipated. 

I've mentioned it before in the blog that I believe putting in all those miles on the heavy recumbent really makes a difference when I get on the road bike.  I checked back through my records and the only time I was faster for a 30 mile all out effort was back in 2004 when I logged a time of 1:41:05 covering 30.4 miles at an average speed of 18.05 mph on my old Lemond aluminum frame.  Needless to say I'm stoked!  Even though I didn't set a new record I'm happy to be coming close to one I set eight years ago.
 

30 Mile Time Trial

Bike:  Motobecane Le Champion Team

Distance:  30 Miles

Ride Time:  1:43:45

Average Speed:  17.2 mph

Max Speed:  28.2 mph