Today was another glorious early spring afternoon in New York. My legs were pretty sapped of power, but I couldn't help myself on a sunny day like today. I decided to take it somewhat easy out to the Palisades. The further I went the stronger I felt. On a particular section of Henry Hudson Drive I decided to give it 90% of what I had left in my legs. To my surprise upon uploading to Strava I'm climbed up to 11th overall on the leader-board. We'll see how long that lasts, but I felt really proud of myself to see that kind of progress.
The climb is pretty well-known in the New York area. It's the first real hill outside of the city. I remember the first time I rode it thinking how much it kicked my ass. It was also the first time I had to use my smaller front chainring to keep a steady spin.
At the end of the climb I was gasping for air, and my legs were full of lactic acid, but all that training was for something. I quickly shed the acid build up and regained my breath, hopped on the bike and bombed down the same hill I just conquered. It turned out to be my second fastest time on the ride.