Non-Scandal Ridden Saturday Ride

Here in the San Gabriel Valley, just northeast of Los Angeles, even though the heatwave is gone, that does not mean the heat has departed.  It's August, so it's supposed to be hot.  Therefore, either ride early or ride late.  My friends and I rode early.  After finding out the inevitable about Floyd Landis, I got ready for my 7 AM ride.  It was only going to be about 30 miles, since I had a trip out to Temecula scheduled for later that morning.  I had not ridden for about four weeks because of a vacation trip and then just watching too much Tour de France coverage.  Interesting that the most celebrated cycling event for the year caused me to sit on the couch instead of my saddle.  Well, time to get the cardio back in shape in time for my next century in two weeks.

 

There's the four of us, riding east on a quiet road in San Marino. Ride, ride toward the light!

 

Mike there at the back in the red jersey is riding a mountain bike with road tires.  Fish or cut bait, is what I always say.  During any leisurely ride, there's got to be a stop at a cafe somewhere.  So when we got back to South Pasadena in our figure-eight loop of the valley, we stopped at Heirloom Bakery.

 

Caffeine, no longer a banned stimulant, is the only "juice" going into my body.

 

Around the table, we talked a little bit about Landis' B sample positive results.  Cathy, who is a nurse practitioner, agreed with me that using synthetic testosterone for a one day recovery just does not make sense metabolically.  Testosterone is used in strength training and muscle recovery from workouts, but it doesn't help in recovering  energy levels from one day to the next.  The Big Boys of the GC could cheat with testosterone or human growth hormone during training to grow muscle and strength, but during a Grand Tour, the only aid it would offer is a one way ticket back to your country of origin.  I've got no proof, but I think some stupid frog spiked Floyd's urine.  Blecch, it was time to get back on the bike and go home.