Beast of burden

I've had this song stuck in my head all day:



This morning I loaded up the Ibex (the brand name of which is the namesake of this post) with weights totaling about 30 lbs. What a difference that made: I was slow (averaged only about 15 mph on a 35-mile ride), sluggish (it was difficult to get started pedaling after stopping at a traffic light or for whatever reason), and unwieldy (especially when I would stand on the pedals climbing or to readjust my seating position). I did get used to it, though. After a while was able to figure how to balance the weight and that in order to fight the increased inertia I should downshift the gears before stopping. Although I can blame the low average speed on L.A. morning traffic, I know the the added weight will undoubtedly slow me down or at least make me work harder to achieve a higher average speed. I felt my muscles tire easier, at least at the beginning of the ride, but once they got used to it, I could only feel them getting stronger, which is good.

So to sum up, I've definitely got a new obstacle in my ride up and need to do everything possible to limit the weight load to 30 lbs, 35 max. On Saturday morning my dad and I are doing an 80-miler, the last big training ride before Solvang; so as to not take all day, I'll leave the weights behind.

Ibexes aren't used as beasts of burden; Todds are.