Something unexpected happened today. In fact, there were two unexpected things.

As planned, I did a long ride today (32.10 miles; long for me at this point). When I first got up, my legs felt weird; sort of quivery. In fact, I felt a tad shaky in general.

After I ate a banana, I felt somewhat better. I filled the Camel-Bak; cut up two Clif Bars; and got the Zym that I prepared last night out of the fridge.

Then I checked NOAA. It was cool enough for leg warmers, vest, and a lightweight skull cap. Then off I went.

NOAA said the wind was from the NW, or a headwind outward-bound. I worked at riding 15 mph or more for 5 minutes at a time. I was surprised that I felt stronger than usual! After a little over 16 miles, I stopped and turned around.

Then I seemed to get a HEADwind! It was much harder to ride 15 mph, in part because my legs were getting a bit tired. Even so, I still felt somewhat stronger than usual.

I checked NOAA again after I was home; the wind had switched around to the North. That explains a lot, doesn\’t it? Headwind on the way home, as happens all too often.

With five miles still to go, I began to feel very tired. I didn\’t seem to bonking, but I decided it would be wise to eat another piece of Clif Bar. After about two miles of easy pedaling, I felt a lot better.

My mileage today fell a few miles short of the 35 I had been thinking about doing, but 32.10 is quite respectable. So if your legs feel a bit \”off\”, try riding anyway. You might get a pleasant surprise.

Oh, and the other unexpected thing: when I weighed myself this morning, I saw that I had lost some weight! Maybe that explains yesterday\’s craving for ice cream?