I’m gonna need you to do two kinds of ups. Shut and listen.

Yesterday, Boots had mentioned some recovery miles for today and potentially doing the Pedal & Pour Sunday ride. As we sat at Starbucks yesterday afternoon and browsed Strava, we received notification that the Pedal & Pour ride was cancelled due to wind. When we left Starbucks to head home we told one another we would sleep in and touch base in the morning about a ride.

When I finally woke up this morning I was surprised to see that it was 8:00 a.m.! I usually don’t sleep in that late on a good day. After lounging around in bed for 45 minutes, I fired a text over to Boots asking how she’d slept and if I’d missed the bus. Thankfully she’d slept in as well and was busy enjoying a cup of coffee. We agreed that she’d climb up to my place and then we’d ride over to Pedal & Pour despite their ride being cancelled. About an hour later Boots showed up on my doorstep and off we went.

The ride over to Pedal & Pour went relatively smoothly. I had planned on a slightly different route, but decided to stick to some neighborhoods to avoid busier sections of roads due to the winds. Overall, the winds weren’t too terrible as long as you were riding in any direction other than north. Any time we started north, be it on Las Vegas Blvd or Fort Apache, it was a chore. Thankfully we were both in a recovery mindset so taking it nice, easy, and steady was the way to go. Even the Fort Apache descent required a few hundred watts to make it to Maule.

We had the pleasure of running into Paul as we were riding north along Valley View in Southern Highlands. We spoke very briefly as he was on his way out to Mountain Springs and a Potosi climb. It was funny that upon hearing his destination both Boots and I told him to be careful especially on the descent with the winds. As we came to Cactus, we watched him power through the intersection and head off into the distance leaving the two of us in the dust. Interestingly, we ran into him again at the top of the Cactus nipple. It seems he’d made a wrong turn somewhere. The three of us hung out chatting until he made a left onto Serene from Fort Apache.

Arriving at Pedal & Pour we pulled up a table to sit back, relax, and enjoy a coffee and snack. While we enjoyed our break, Boots took the opportunity to get her chain a wax refresh. I had my winter seasonal favorite of a Peppermint Mocha and finally got to try the house Ham and Cheese Sandwich. Both were amazing. The P&P crew even let me have a drip coffee after finishing my first drink. Also had the pleasure of running into Derrick who was doing a bike fit with Kyle who is getting into cycling to become a triathlete.

With Boots’ freshly waxed chain installed we set off for home. The winds were still pretty steady and coming out of the north. It made for a very fun and chill climb up Fort Apache. The ride back over to Inspirada was much of the same. Mostly a crosswind as we made our way east with nice tailwinds when we turned south. Riding south on Via Centro was great as Boots and I rode side-by-side. I laughed as we made the left at the roundabout to double back to Bicentennial and our traditional Starbucks stop. We were greeted with a face full of wind for the short stretch for our troubles, but the Starbucks break was totally worth it.

The ride the remainder of the way home was pretty typical. One notable difference was Boots joined me up along Democracy to Anthem Highlands where she turned around to return home. I poked fun at her that she was angling for more miles on what was supposed to be a recovery day. I’m not entirely sure why, but I decided to have a go at the Democracy climb despite this being a recovery ride. Ended up with a 5-minute power PR for my trouble.

Now for a nice chill evening at home, and another salmon dinner to boot. I hope to get a nice rest this evening so I have the legs for a commute into the office tomorrow morning. I was also blessed with my daughter’s company while writing this and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty playing in the background. Really couldn’t ask for a better afternoon/evening.

New bike fund: $80.78 (+$0.25), €0.52 (+€0.00), ₱10.00 (+₱0.00), ֏10.00 (+֏0.00)
369 vehicles @ 7.9 per mile, 2.1 per minute, Speeds: 37.2 mph (avg), 73.8 mph (max) — by MyBikeTraffic.com
Give your activities the names they deserve. — by Bandok.com
Mostly sunny-Mostly sunny, 48°F-53°F, Feels like 43°F-52°F, Humidity 23%-20%, Wind N 11mph-N 9mph – by Klimat.app
— myWindsock.com Report —
Weather Impact™: 10.4%
Headwind: 59% @ 11.2 – 31.3 mph
Longest Headwind: 43m 27s
Air Speed: 16.6 mph
Temp: 47-51.5 °F
Precip: 0% @ 0 Inch/hr
— END —