I always think arm workouts are going to be easy, but they never really are. Doing the explosive fast reps take their toll and always make my arms feel crampy. Emphasis was on triceps first followed by a couple bicep sets. Despite smaller muscle group, still got winded after each set. 20-40+ reps depending on weight.
I was able to get out for a lunch ride today with Wed/Fri group. Noah was there along with Jaffe and Hiroshi, and I was almost going to just ride my own ride and not push too hard and work on tempo instead. Our route today was to Portola and back via bike trail. On CA, I rolled down with Noah, but once on the trail, I decided to hold steady pace and let front group just go. Doing so, I expected to fall far behind, but for the most part, was still able to see the front group all the way to Harvard. They jumped across the street before I could there though, and I sat at the light with this other guy who had fallen off the front. That let them start on Harvard while we had to wait to cross the street first, and then cross Barranca.
To that light, I had done most of the pulling with David and Tim behind me. Tim took one turn, which was cool, but I relieved him after and for the rest of the way. On Harvard, they were talking about how they were just going to hang behind me the whole time, which I didn't think would be too fun. I decided to up the pace at that point to see if I can catch front group. Fortunately, they got caught at light before bike trail after train tracks, so I was able to ride with them then. The group behind that had fallen off had also caught us by then.
Noah started the work on the bike trail, and I just stayed with the group not to incite any aggressiveness. However, Noah ended up getting a flat, and while I offered to help, he said to just go ahead and continue since he knows how to fix a damn flat. Off we went.
I started up front this time to go ahead and tow the group at a fairly decent pace. At one point, Hiroshi did get up front to do some work, but once he tired, I kept the group going and towed everyone to the top. At the top, they weren't sure what route to take back, but we ended up just double-backing to see if Noah was okay.
Of course, starting off again, no one jumped up front and I pulled back a little in case anyone wanted to do so. While doing about 24, Vin passes (just like always does) trying to prove to someone (maybe himself) how fast he's getting. Of course, I latch on to his rear wheel shortly after and wait for him to peter out. He does so shortly before seeing Noah again. Pulling all the way to Harvard, Jaffe or Hiroshi started to get up front, but it was pretty short-lived given hitting the first light.
I think we hit another light and saw 2 cyclists make a right turn in front of us. The regulars decided to chase them down only to get behind them once caught. Noah, on the other hand, took it to them instead and tore off past them. I jumped on to help, and took a turn to keep these 2 guys at bay. We did get caught at a light at Barranca where the rest of the group, including rider x and y sat in the back.
We got across the street and on the bike trail, and Noah led the group at this point. Once he got across the bridge, he picked it up a notch while the othes remained in his draft. The winds definitely seemed harder at this point, and after no one would relieve Noah, I went ahead and jumped up front again to help the guy out. In some ways, this makes Wed/Fri rides even more difficult since the turns up front are far more than Tues/Thurs.
After the other bridge, Noah decided to turn it up here as well, and being 4th or 5th back, had to chase him down and drop the others just to get with him again. Surprisingly at a point shortly after catching Noah, rider x and y pass us. Once they did, we hopped on their rear wheel up until we got on University. Once on University, Noah jumped ahead and we just wanted to again create a gap and finish strong to our regular CA sprint point. Noah was definitely strong today, and I just hung on (but prepared to defend again if necessary).
Up CA, I got caught at the first light while the others spun through it. This made for a nice little chase up the hill. I did catch Jaffe and eventually Vin, but the others had gotten to the top and were stopped by the light.
When we crossed Bison, Vin seemed to want to sprint at that point, so I tore off at this point as well to blow off the rest of my energy. Maybe next time, Vin.
GPS stats: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/65524269
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