July is for Cycling - 2015 Edition

The Stats
7/7:  11.8 miles; 16.5 mi/hr avg. pace; KC Time Trial Course
7/12: 8.4 miles; 15.7 mi/hr avg. pace; KC Time Trial Course
7/15: 8.3 miles; 12.7 mi/hr avg. pace; Mount Alpha
7/21: 11.7 miles; 16.3 mi/hr avg. pace; KC Time Trial Course
7/22: 13.9 miles; 12.7 mi/hr avg. pace; Mount Alpha
                      7/23: 4.7 miles; 9.7 mi/hr avg. pace; Job Corps
                      7/27: 10.6 miles; 15.3 mi/hr avg. pace; KC Time Trial Course
                      7/30: 10.1 miles; 13.7 mi/hr avg. pace; Airport and Coonskin Park

The running shoes were confined to the closet for most of July. After PTR jogged around Lexington on July 4th, I fixed my focus on the Tour de France and tried to emulate my favorite cyclists on the local routes. I tried, and failed, to beat Mike's time on the flat Kanawha City bike course. When I got frustrated by doing that over and over again, I biked up Mount Alpha. My times climbing up Alpha were significantly slower than last October. I think the fall weather is more conducive to climbing. To mix it up, I rode up Job Corps hill from Kanawha Boulevard; for my efforts I was greeted at the top by a security guard warning me, "Hey man, this is government property!" Sheesh, I can't even turn around in your parking lot? Anyway, my time up that climb was also below my best time by a good margin. I finished up the month with a route I had not tried; starting from Capitol High School, I biked to the airport hill and took a celebratory lap through the passenger drop-off lane at Yeagar. Then, I descended and biked back to Coonskin Park, which has some short but very steep hills. The sun was blazing hot and skin felt on the fringe of combustion at different points during that ride.
I may keep up this cycling trend into August and September for a couple reasons. First, the annual Capital City Challenge is on the horizon and biking skills are paramount to finishing that in style. Second, Mike and I are signed up to do the Colonial Williamsburg Fondo at the end of September in conjunction with the World Cycling Championships in Richmond this year. We'll get nice and tired before watching the best one-day racers in the world battle it out for the rainbow jersey.