Spaghetti legs and a ride into Paris

It’s funny how one day I can go out on a ride and feel strong, feel like even when it hurts it’s okay, feel like I can attack a hill and give it my all. And then there are days like this one.

I don’t know exactly what was going on, but I felt like I had nothing extra in the tank. Every hill was a struggle. I still did my usual ride – about 35 miles and an average speed of 16.5 mph, but it wasn’t as exhilarating as some days. That’s not to say I’m not glad I went. Gotta do the miles, even when the miles are harder to do. Part of the problem may be a lack of rides during the week to keep me in tone. My legs just felt like spaghetti.

On the way back into the development I saw Marcella on the way out for her ride, but about 15 minutes later she was home. She had a very unfortunate asthma attack that cut short her trip. That’s too bad. I don’t think she’d had an attack in a long time so it caught her unprepared. From now on she’ll have to take her inhaler with her.

So now we are watching the final stage of the Tour. It’s mostly a procession at this point. Carlos Sastre has won the yellow jersey, which means he is the overall winner of the race, but there will likely be a sprint to win the final stage and get glory on the Champs Élysées in Paris.

I think I’m glad Sastre won. He’s got a reputation as a nice guy, and even though he was one of the people tipped to be a contender there was still a sense that he was a long-shot. So—well done, Carlos.

Here shortly we’ll break out a baguette and some brie to capture a little bit of the Tour flavor on the final day. It’s a little bit of a tradition that Marcella and I have. In the past we’ve also done strawberries and champagne, but we are keeping things a little simpler this year.