Peta-Loop

1878.1; 51.3

Bigger ride still. This also included some major, major hills, and the corresponding downhills, one of which (on Spring Hill Road) got me a new speed record, I think, at 37 mph--without even pedaling!

I had guilt-free pasta and half a beer for lunch in Petaluma after 26 miles. After lunch, it was a bit of tough going for a while, but I stopped for a longish break in Cotati and seemed to recover. I expected Stony Point to be really windy and was pleasantly surprised to have almost no wind, and in fact a little bit of a tail wind when a truck would pass me, making those last 10 miles easier than they could've been.

One problem with riding around this area: you want scenery, you get hills; you want flat, you get traffic, industry, commerce. That seems to be the trade-off.

I'm wondering about the headaches, always on the left side near my eye. Maybe I should start taking ibuprofen before riding on sunny days like this, or maybe my helmet isn't fitting right. I did remember sunscreen on my face and neck, but got sunburned a bit on arms and legs.

I don't see how I can do 100 miles, ever. This 50-mile ride took about five hours including the breaks, and I NEEDED every minute of break, so we're talking at LEAST 10 hours to make 100. However, if I can work out the formula for not hitting the wall at the 35-mile mark, maybe that'll make it all more feasible. We'll see. At any rate, gotta feel good about a week with 48- and 51-mile rides.