Sunday Final

Boy, I wish everyday was like today.
Even though it was on the hot and humid side, it was nice out, the sort of day you just want to keep on going.
I don't know what it is about days like this, when everything just seems to come together. Each pedal stroke puts the power to the ground and although you can feel it in your legs, you somehow have the reserves to just keep on going.
The only thing stopping you is lack of oxygen and possible heart explosion.
It was one of those days where taking the long way just seemed like the natural way, even if it meant some acid percolating headwinds.
I notice that I like my Sunday rides better than my Saturday ride.
On Saturdays, my heart rate just won't cooperate, probably because I'm still a bit dehydrated from the night before. I make a point to ride in the afternoons, hoping that a half day of fluids will help, but so far, it never does.
I'm always dragging my okole, thinking about short cuts and cutting my rides short, making up excuse after excuse on why I could be doing something else.
Mentally, that's tough.
Realistically, you want to listen to what your body is telling you even if you need to get those miles in.
Then again, if I always listened to what my body was screaming at me, my rides would be very short indeed!
I guess what it is, is that I dislike struggling on the bike. Let me tell you, it isn't every day that my ride is like a walk in the park, it isn't every day that my cadence comes up automatically, and it isn't every day that I can cruise along without feeling like I should be home on the couch watching Law & Order.
Especially difficult is coming home from work and getting the bike out the door. Just getting up to put air in my tires requires that I summon up all my Jedi skills!
Then when I'm halfway down the street and my heart rate is already kissing the upper zone, well, let's just say it ain't easy to keep going.
Some days though, there seems to be a place, a certain point in the ride when all that negative seems to fade, and just being outside, on the bike makes everything all good.
Endorphins.
Some days, it seems like I need a booster shot.
Or maybe more EPO.
Or something.
Not today though.
Today, I felt like I was Fausto Coppi reincarnated!
Faster than a speeding bullet!
More powerful than a locomotive!
Okay, not really.
Pretty close though.
Okay, not really even close.
Must have been some kind of flashback.
Or something.
Boy, I started to ramble there a bit didn't I?
Anyways, that Planet Bike Comfort Gel Bar Tape(PBCGBT) is great!
Dampens vibrations, reduces fatigue, washes windows and all that good stuff. I like how it makes the diameter of the bars a little larger, easier on my massive giant like hands. I don't have to ride one handed while I shake the bad juju out of my other hand like I used to do.
I'm going to order me a couple of boxes so that I got me some spares.
Besides, it looks pretty good:



You can see the difference in color compared to the old tape in the title image.
I also got that anti-glare stuff for my Garmin. It doesn't really help, or maybe it does, I'm not sure for my glasses are polarized and they do strange things to LCD screens. I got it mostly to protect the screen from scratches.
I got the stuff for an Iphone and cut it down to fit the Garmin screen:



Nothing fancy and one sheet is enough to do two screens.
I got it for like three bucks on evil eBay.
Of course on days like today, it's important to see the screen clearly, to make sure I'm not breaking the sound barrier.
Those sonic booms can be sort of nasty.
Oh, and towards the end of my ride, what did I see?



Sorry kid, no amount of pedaling is going to keep you from having your soul crushed!
I just hope I didn't suck the bike out from under you when I blew on past.