Rode 25 miles yesterday (1.75 hours) and 32 miles today (2.5 hours). Still not much in the grand scheme of things, but not at all bad considering (a) the still-recovering ankle and (b) how little training I’ve had to date (last week was really my first solid weekend of training).
I have also figured out why I was having back pain when riding. Without getting too deep into the technical details, I’m having seat-post problems. The saddle is tilting up at the nose, forcing me to curve my back while riding, which strains the lower back.
So I stopped into Palo Alto Bicycles and talked it over with them, and the net of it is that I need a new seat-post, and unfortunately because of my unusual setup there’s only one other seatpost that will likely do – and it costs $180. Ouch. But if I need it, I need it.
I’ll probably also need a fit adjustment since the two seatposts are not quite the same – I’ve called my bike fitter (Curtis Cramblett, who’s fitted me for the last six or seven years) for an appointment for a mini-fit.
My plan for next week is to bike commute four or five days (if the ankle holds up) – about fifty minutes total each day – and then do a 40-mile ride on Saturday and a 25-30 mile ride on Sunday, depending on how I feel. My target right now is the Cinderella Century, which is April 6 and 66 mostly-flat miles. I think I’m on track for completing it, which will be good.