What a morning.

We sat on the porch glancing at the paper, trying to figure out which yard would get our attention this afternoon, the city or the lake, because both need a lot of work. The city won out, since we are going to the Diana Krall concert Sunday evening here anyway.

I glanced at an article about the Tour of Wisconsin stage race hitting Downer tonight, and my thoughts turned to racing, which of course means speed, something I have not paid attention to this season. No, this year thus far has been about riding longer rides, increasing miles.

Since there is no Cat 6 for 190 pound middle-aged guys, the fact is that while I would love to compete in the 4/5's, all it would turn out to be is me riding like hell just to keep onto the back of the peloton for a couple of laps, then being spit out the back and waved off the course in humiliation.

So I got it into my head today that before the yard work, I would go out and crank on one for the first time this seaon, PUSH for a speed ride from the start. Seriously, I have not done that since last year on my little 26-mile stop-and-go course. Today I would try it, dedicating the effort to all you racers out there. I respect the hell out of you men and women.

It was all foreign to me at the start because it has been so long since I made an attempt at a speed run on this course. There are little things you must do on a ride where you are pushing yourself all the time. Basically, I tell myself to never settle for just a pedal. You always have to be thinking about pushing it to the next level.

--You have to start at tempo and not take 4-5 mlies to warm up. It's GO from the time you hit the flightdeck to start.

--You ride in the drops more.

--You watch cadence, and when it drops below 90, you pop out of the saddle for a few revolutions just to hammer it back up to plus-90.

--You don't coast into stop signs. You ride and brake.

--You don't take it easy starting off from stops. You hammer out of the saddle up to speed.

--You don't coast down hills. You grab bigger gears and keep the pedal motion.

--You talk to yourself. "Come on. Get it, get it, get it."

--You make sure that when you are hurting in the last five miles you don't let it all slip away by getting lazy at this point.

--You, like the racers will do tonight, jump out of the saddle and hammer up to speed out of corners.

There is no down time really. You pick little spots to catch your breath, and then you do it all over again. You don't even stop pedaling when taking a drink. Your body goes into hyper mode.

It didn't help that I had to cyclo-cross 4X out and back at Grennfield Park where they have screwed up that road either!

I think of myself as a sleek bike racer in an event while I am huffing and puffing like a madman for no apparent reason. These guys racing today are all about half my age and 30 pounds lighter, but in my head as I push myself to my cycling limits, I am one of them now.

I am hurting as I near home, but it is the good kind of hurt. The moment of truth is near.

The final turn...into the driveway...brake to a stop and turn off the computer. I am almost hesitant now as I push the buttons that will take me to the magic number: ave. speed of the ride. My chest is heaving in and out. I am slouched over my handlebars with sweat running like a hose from my head. I have not felt this way in a long, long time. I am spent. One more push of the button and it will be there......

17.4

SHIT. THAT'S IT?

It's funny because I just busted my hump with all I had out there and I come back with an average speed that, last year, would be very average indeed. I would ride 17's routinely. This would have been an average ride last year when I trained for speed. Instead this year it was all I had. Had I made an effort like this last year I would have been in the 18's at the very least. Not any more I guess.

But here's the real life lesson I feel I gained from today.

Was I disappointed that all that effort amounted only to a 17.4 ride when I was supposed to be speed racer out there? Yes. But you know what? The fact of the matter is that I tried. I challenged myself and I felt that feeling once again of throwing everything I had in my body into those pedals. It is the challenge and the attempt that makes me feel alive.

Maybe I'll see ya at Downer tonight (if it is not raining)