500 miles in 5 days - Day 2

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Today was Day 2 of my 500 miles in 5 days plan.

I decided to ride up to Richardson, then over to Carrolton, Irving, and Coppell following my old commuting route from when I lived up there.  Once I got to Coppell, I did a loop around the airport before heading towards home and White Rock Lake for some lake loops to round out my 100 miles.

Unfortunately, the ride was a beating.  Between all the stop signs, red lights, rough roads, and the wind, it was really hard to get a good rhythm going.  I could really feel all the stopping and starting and bumps in the road sapping the energy out of me.  And, coupled with the slower pace, I really just wanted to just finish the ride.  But, I finished it and don't hate my bike. :)

On a different note, I also took along the seat bag I'm planning to use for the trip to VA.  I loaded it up with my tent, sleeping pad, a couple extra footprints, and my normal saddlebag (with tubes and CO2 cartridges).  All told, it weighed 7 lbs.  When I do the trip, I'm thinking I'll add a couple more tools and a spare tire to the seat bag.  I'll attach my sleeping bag and camp clothes to my handlebars and that should be it!  I'm still hoping to get below 15 lbs (10 would be even better).

The seat bag did really well.  No swaying and, honestly, aside from sometimes feeling it touching the back of my legs and the extra weight when I had to start from a stop, I didn't even notice it there.

Welp, tomorrow is another day.  They're calling for thunderstorms and lots of rain.  I might just end up riding in the garage on Zwift.  We'll see.

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