Training Log Archive: iansmith

Late night ride. As much as I enjoy the York Mills loop, I decided to expand to a 90 km loop. I made a similar journey in September 2020, when I went in search of a tempo loop. Riding up Leslie was about as quick as any method to get out of the city, but things really opened up once I got onto Major Mackensie. The street lights on Major Mackensie stopped at around km 36, and I was shrouded in a sublime darkness, a glorious desolation pierced only by my bike lamp. The eastern edge of the trip was quite fast, though it had a net downhill of 135m in 20 km. While Lawrence is about as good a road as any in the Toronto core, with three or more lanes and great pavement, it still has a ridiculous number of traffic lights.

I rode tonight with two full bottles (~1.6 L) and two Clif Bars, of which I ate one after about an hour. Near the end, I could tell my available power was starting to decline, probably from hunger. Clif bars are convenient, but they are so heavy and dense that eating one is like absorbing a punch to the gut. Candy bars like snickers and Kit Kat are preferable and feel easier to digest, presumably because of the larger proportion of simple sugars. Of note was that I never stopped for a break except those foisted upon me by traffic lights. I'm annoyed that I was unable to achieve 30 km/h, but the traffic lights certainly contributed substantially to the deficit. It was an excellent ride, particularly for a week night.

C • Bars 16