W@W last year....


a set of images from one of last year's W@W summer races
wonder if gary got any good shots last night at fort reno

last night after work I got out on the bike
lisa had play date plans with the boys which freed me up for more than the standard 45minute to an hour post work ride

although I was not feeling so much like riding the bike
the cool weather devoid of humidity combined with a solid window of opportunity sent me spinnng on my Specialized cyclocross bike
it had been a few days off the bike... my body needed to be back on the bike

I took a standard route through Georgetown across Key Bridge into Virginia
the bike trail options are not many.... but they are grand
off the bridge and into virginia I got onto the mount vernon trail and spun my way along the potomac river towards old town alexandria

the ride was without incident
there were the standard post work commuters and the post work runners
there were a few games of chicken and a few near misses from button hooking runners
but this is all par for the course

took things past the airport then turned around just before the trail got into civilization
after an out and back and some time in rock creek I was home in an hour fifteen
there was still time to ride
so I worked the hill a few times
as good as I felt
I just did not have it
I worked a short section of hill
not sure if I could rocket the whole hill so I just mashed the gears for half the hill a handful of times
realizing I still had the ride to Fort Reno Park I did not mind cutting things short after roughly an hour thirty

off the bike and into the woods with the dog
a short walk after a short ride
walked brutus for 25 minutes
should have walked him longer

then traded out the geared cross bike for a rigid single speed and spun my way across town to fort reno
as I climbed out of the valley which is rock creek I could really feel the hill
the thought of the Shenandoah Mountain 100 occupied my brain
the notion of getting prepared for this epic challenge gave me butterflies

DC is a flat city at sea level
it the climbs in DC are slowing me down
I think I may need spend some time on the bike before that Labor Day experience which is the SM100