Whoops...

Well, after posting some mildly ambitious but frankly reachable goals, Fluffy the Cat and I promptly fell of the cycling map.

I spent the preceding 8 months becoming a solid racquetball player, reacquainting myself with tennis, and reshaping my body with weight training...but no biking.

Today the weather was reasonable in the high 70s so we went for a bit of a jaunt.

It is clear he also has ignored the Junior Woodchuck Guide to Cycling and not been maintaining his biking fitness.

We both were demonstrably slower and less full of endurance, though still both equally full of....smurf.

Today while riding together we clocked 19.78 miles at a blistering pace of 9.8 mph.

Compared to last season when we routinely clocked 30 - 50 mile rides with speeds more in the 13 - 15 mph range.

I did manage to do something i have never done before...ride all the way to each end of Fanno creek trail on the same ride. For the day I clocked 25.59 miles in two spurts; the longer one mostly with Fluffy the Kitten (to be the Cat one must show more endurance and speed...and on a completely unrelated note, on this blog I shall henceforth beknown simply as Darth Ferret...one must EARN the sobriquet Weasel...) and the shorter one to get to where we were meeting.

Yes, I find it funny that my short, "warmup ride" was at 13.2 mph...because I think I proved I have essentially no chance in Siberia of maintaining anywhere near that pace.

But the thing I love is biking is still fun and I cannot wait to get back out there and ride again. Be good to get my legs back in shape.

And while the century, sub 4 hour Banks to Vernonia, and frequent rides to work goals may be dead...the riding spirit lives.

Now if you will excuse me, my legs have asked me to kindly pass out. I shall acquiesce their most reasonable request.