feelin' slow

Laura OLPH says it was because I was on a 30-lb. bike with a pannier. I'm hoping it was because of a brake rub that I think I found, and fixed. Bottom line is, I was feelin' slow today.

I didn't do a ride yesterday; the Excellent In-Laws are poorly, and The Excellent Wife (TEW) and I went up there to see 'em. While there, I fixed a toilet, got supplies to fix a sink, and did our taxes. (I do 'em online at both Taxact and HR Block; on both sites you can see who's getting you the better refund/lesser assessment before you actually spend any money. Ours are simple enough that I can do both sites in less than two hours. Taxact is almost always the better, but last year HR Block took the prize.)

While there, Laura sent out an email asking about extra miles, to which I agreed, so I met her in Plainsboro ...

...and we did an extended route to Cranbury for Winter Larry's ride, where we met Marco, Peter F, and Rick.

We took off over to the park in Jamesburg, where we did a loop up the hill, and got separated from Laura, and had to strategize a bit to get back together, but get back together we did.

Larry put the stop at Clarksburg (Alas! Less than three miles from the excellent Roy's!), but long before that, I was noticing that I just didn't have the zip I expected. On Iron Ore Road, I noticed my speed dropping and dropping, far more than I usually do on a hill. I was able to keep up, but at far more effort than I expect to put in on a ride of this pace (and my average was only 14.8). At Clarksburg, I adjusted the brake a bit more open and I felt a bit better, but I don't know if that was from the rest and Gatorade.

In that lower pic, that's Laura's bike Beaker Gonzo with the blue tires. She's put race-y wheels on that tank of a bike, and says she can really feel the difference.

Along with the ride, Laura gave me a present from her husband, Professor Jack... but that deserves its own post.