Taper.

So, my two week taper has officially started. Which is great because I am beat. I did a 55 mile ride on Saturday that kicked my ass. More mentatlly than physically though. I started out into the wind and workded hard for the first hour and twenty minutes, looking forward to the trun around. Well, I should know better than that by now. I don't get tailwinds on the way home, ever! By the time I hit my turnaround point the wind had of course shiffted to a cross wind and the mid-day temps were high. I stopped to refuel at a gas station in Darwin, MN. This town may help to prove Darwin's evolutional theory. I'm pretty sure I saw the missing link coming out of the liquor store.

I was all ready to remount and take off when I realized that my rear tire was completely flat. This is pretty much where I lost all motivation and what ever mental energy I had left for the day. I took great care changing this particular flat because I was twenty six miles from home, my wife was out of town and I had no one else to call. Oh, did I mention that I only had one CO2 cartridge and one tube. I had to get it right the first time. I took my tire all the way off and examined every little cut in the tire. I found four different pieces of glass and a staple. By the time I finished fixing my flat I was ready for a nap. I really did not want to ride anymore. This was one of those days that if my wife was home I would have called for a ride.

Finally, I was off for home. This was the worst piece of riding I can remember this year. I could not get comfortable on my saddle, my legs had no snap, my neck hurt, and it was hot. Oh, wait, I can't complain about anything until I get run over by my own team car.

Ride Complete: 55.2 miles 19.8avg/mph