Out of shape
Since I failed to get out on my bike during the 60 degree day we had a recently, I felt obliged to enjoy today's 56 degree weather. If the forecast I'm looking at comes true it will be back down to a high of 46 tomorrow and down to 37 by Friday. This was the first time I was out on my bike this year. I didn't ride that much last year mostly due to working at Ruckus over the summer to get ready for the fall launch of the second generation of the service. In fact the last time I did any serious riding was 2003 when I rode the Erie Canal. Let's just say time is a cruel companion.
While I've never had issues on a long ride like the Erie Canal, I've come very close to bonking enough times during training that I'm sometimes overly cautious. A first ride of the season helps me set the pace for just what kind of year its going to be. If I was smart and dedicated I'd have already spent three months racking up time on my trainer. Alas, my discipline hasn't been that good of late. I made an minimal effort during part of January but then fell off as quickly as I'd started. Which bring me to today's ride.
The executive summary is that I'm just out of shape. My endurance is lacking, the leg power isn't what it should be, and some things that shouldn't be soar were soar after a short ride. Thankfully my reflexes and bike handling were still up to par. My ride almost ended with me plowing into the side of a car, at around 22 MPH, that decided at the last minute to take a left turn directly in front of me. Both brakes on full, both tires skidding slightly, and yelling obscenities like there was no tomorrow I'm still here to tell the tale.
As best as I can tell I'm riding a relic, but classic, of a bike. Tracing serial numbers through the Vintage Trek site, I'm fairly confident that I'm riding a 720 model from 1982. This is a touring bike. It has mount points for three water bottles and front and rear racks. It also weighs a ton, coming in just under 30 pounds. The frame though gives a very smooth ride even over the pothole hell that is Somerville streets and other unworthy roads west of here.