Active recovery feels good...

My legs are STILL sore from Sunday's race. My focus is to sleep as much as I can and eat as good as I can to help speed the recovery. Last night I just took it easy and edited my Muskoka Long Course Video as we watched "I'm a celebrity, get me out of here". 

I asked Alice if she wanted to go mountain biking with me today, but she had too much to do, so I decided just to take my road bike and go for a very easy ride. Before I left I took off my carbon racing wheels and brake pads and replaced them with my training wheels and regular brake pads. When I looked at the race brake pads they were worn down big time, not surprisingly. 

I've been nervous about going down hills after my speed wobble. I did some research and the way to prevent a speed wobble, or get out of one, is to not sit on your seat, keep most of your weight forward and keep your knees tight to the top bar of the frame. I went down one hill and got up to 58 kph and practiced the technique. After a few hills I got my nerve back and I'm actually looking forward to going down some big hills again.

I also read about speed wobbles that happen when your riding with no hands. That got me thinking because when I was a young kid I could ride my bike forever with no hands. Now that I'm older I've been to chicken to try it, especially on a triathlon bike. Tonight I decided to try to ride with no hands and was able to do it for about 15 seconds. I'm going to practice this because I think it will help me better improve my confidence and bike handling skills.

I was taking it easy and then saw another cyclist in front of me, who looked back at me and saw I was coming, so he started to push it. I debated if I should chase him or let him go and continue on my easy ride. I decided to catch him because I felt like talking. My heart rate shot up over 140 bpm for a few minutes until I caught him. 

I rode beside him for five minutes and we chatted until I had to take a different route to get home. It turns out that he too was on a recovery ride from mountain bike racing on the weekend in St. Catherines. I told him about my speed wobble this weekend and he told me he had one once on his mountain bike and knows how scary they can be. To get a speed wobble on a mountain bike, which I've read is rare, you've got to be flying.

My heart rate for most of the ride was around 90 - 110 bpm. I just did a nice leisurely ride and "smelt the roses", except for those 3 minutes of effort. It was most enjoyable to take it easy and I don't even think I broke a sweat.

Recovery Bike Ride - 54:29 / 24.23 km / 26.6 kph