Activity: road cycling
Location: Dupont Circle > Potomac, MD
Distance: 51.4 miles (moderately hilly)
Duration: 3:05
Weather: clear and unseasonably warm, 64-70 degrees
Avg HR: 152 (max 180)
Type: aerobic

I had such a knocked-out latter half of my weekend that I forgot to post this. This was the PPTC “Semi-Real Ride From The Very Real City,” led by me. It was my first major ride since injuring my rib, and it went fine. I felt good in the saddle, no pain, and the ride went well. We had a couple of incidents with riders crashing: one who hit a redwood plank and crashed into some grass on the side of the road (and cracked his helmet in the process – wear your helmet!), and another who was sideswiped by a motorist. The latter was reported to the local constabulary, but the rider was fine.

The weather couldn’t have been better: clear and warm. I was able to wear my PPTC kit – 2006 club jersey and socks – and be quite comfy the whole time. And a lot of people were outside on Saturday, which was possibly the last shorts-worth day of 2006 for Washington, DC. We’ll see – it hit 70+ on January 1, so anything is possible.

And our ride had a unique cheering section, as Alan Greenspan (Federal Reserve Chair) and Andrea Mitchell (NBC News) clapped and cheered us on as we climbed up Chain Bridge Road. It’s a moment you’ll only get in DC.

And not 10 hours after this ride, a stomach bug decided to roost in my system….