Ride Solo Series Route 1

This was my second run at route 1 of the ride solo series. On my first try, I had Garmin problems. It didn't start correctly and it routed me the wrong way, and I listened to it when I knew better. But that is ok, as on my ride back to the start I realized I also had bike problems. My seat post had slipped down and was continuing to move. On my second try, the day was warmer, so I could wear short sleeves and shorts, but the wind seemed to be a little stronger. I started out well as I had the wind at my back, and felt like I was keeping a good average speed. I don' t have a power meter yet on my new Specialized Diverge, so I was just concentrating on speed and heart rate. I tried to keep my heart rate at low zone 4 and settled in for an hour effort.  This route switches between gravel and paved roads a lot, so I loved the new Future Shock 2.0 on my Diverge. It goes from completely locked out to 20 mm of travel with a quick turn of a dial. The last 15 minutes were a bit rough. I was getting tired, there were lots of headwind and lots of gravel sections to finish the route. But I just kept my head down and tried to keep my effort steady. Finished with a 54:44, which was good enough to take the KOM for now. But like most everyone, afterwards I thought that I could go harder. Thought about a few mistakes I made that probably cost me a few seconds. So do I go back for another try, or move on to route 2?