We started promptly at 7AM with a rather brisk start. Trey and Michelle are strong riders. I am excellent at drafting :). We went down Happy Valley Road at a flying speed of 35+MPH before going North on Pima. The wind was brisk this morning making for a tough ride. Trey lead the pack followed by Michelle, Missy and I was bringing up the rear. We passed a bunch of Tour de New River riders; a couple of them joined our bike-train still lead by Trey. As we crossed over to Scottsdale Road (on Westland) and then onwards to Cave Creek Road going west, Trey took off. The other riders fell off leaving just me, Michelle and Missy huffing and puffing on our bikes. We took a right to go north on 7th St where Trey was waiting for us. As we rode north, a couple of bicyclists passed us and Missy took off with them. I cursed under my breath and picked up my pace. So did everyone. A mile or two later, Missy lost steam and fell back. She eventually caught up to us as we waited; and eventually the four of us ended up at Starbucks for a leisurely coffee break.
On our way back, we rode briskly against the wind. My heart rate was just where I wanted it. As we ascended the last hill up Dynamite, we had done 60+ miles in a bit less than 4 hours. It will be my last longish ride before IMAZ.
14 days to go and I have race jitters already. Next week, my plan is to do an easy taper week and do an open-water swim on either Friday or Saturday.