I did it!

It wasn't pretty, but I did it. Another nice day found me on the bike at around 10 AM planning to do a 60 miler despite the "saddle-soreness" from the yesterday. The first 30 miles where not too difficult although I was pedalling at a slightly slower pace than yesterday - around 14 miles an hour. Yesterday's ride had definitely taken a toll. The second 30 miles were a real struggle, but the farther I got the more determined I became to finish the 60 miles. I definitely limped through the last 6 miles but made a total distance of 62 miles in 4 hours, 23 minutes - an average speed of just over 14 miles per hour.

The interesting thing was that, except for part of the last 6 miles, I was able to "charge" all the hills. Stepping up the effort and the pace to climb quickly and steadily. It actually felt better when I hit the few short uphills on my route. The other interesting thing is that the course is pretty flat - there are no real hills in Mentor - so my effort throughout the 60 miles was pretty constant. If there are no uphills you can't coast down any downhills.

I'm recovering now.