29.8 kmph (again) and the dangers of sports nutrition

(Photo: strawberry power gel - not very nice in either direction) I went for a quick ride on my road bike this evening. I was meant to go out mountain biking with a mate, but when I spoke to him on Saturday evening he was already down town with another of our mates and I just knew, that despite his enthusiasm at that moment, there was a good chance the idea wouldn't seem so great for him the next morning. He still hadn't called me by lunch time today so I decided to call him. He sounded reasonably chipper, but claimed that climbing and some physical work the day before had made him achy so he would give the biking a miss. He also denied that the five beers and a bottle of vodka they had drunk in his camper van on arrival in the city, before even getting to a bar, had nothing to do with it. I remain slightly sceptical.

Anyway - back to the ride. It's really annoying as it is a shortish ride, just over 20 kms, and I was trying hard to do it at an average speed of 30 kmph. But just like back in the early summer, although the computer was saying well over an av speed of 30 on the downhills it would dip back into the twenties on the climbs. I really went for it climbing back up from the river towards home, to the extent that I managed to get that horrible vomit-in-the-mouth feeling when you think you are about hurl your last meal (in this case strawberry-flavoured power gel, which - believe me - doesn't taste much better going down than it does coming back up). I managed to avoid puking and tried to sprint the last couple of kms along the flat - yet to no avail. When I was a kid I was totally uncompetitive in anything to do with sports, it is an odd habit to develop against yourself as you approach middle age!
(Photo right - eating power gel on your bike may make you look like this - although probably not. But who says advertising doesn't work? We can all dream)