RIDING AGAIN

I went away on a much needed vacation for a few weeks. I relaxed, had a few beers and worked on my golf game. It still needs some more tinkering. But when I came back I felt refreshed. After a nearly inconsolable season of cold and sleet the sun is finally here to stay.
My golf clubs were pulled out of the trunk of my car and replaced with my bike. Dirty running shoes now smell up my backseat. I feel focused and ready to train. This past weekend I threw down consecutive multi-hour rides. And although my quads are now a little sore, I felt strong. The first day I went rolling on my standard bike, no aerobars, no flashpoints. After 35 miles of solo biking over rolling hills I was holding a 20 mph average with only moderate effort. 
Today I recreated that ride on my P2K with my flashpoints. Only today the wind was brutal. There were sustained gusts that I couldn't hide from. Long, exposed stetches of road made me feel as wide as an NFL lineman. At points just going 15miles per hour on a flat road took nearly a herculean effort. But the flashpoints-they get some credit. The silky smooth hubs allowed me to roll up small risers in the pavement that had sucked away my speed just the day before. The downhills bowed before me, and I could keep pushing the big gear long after the street became level. Yet, discounting those mean headwinds, my overall effort was dialed back from the day before. Final average speed: 21.7 mph--a big difference.
The flashpoints certaintly aren't a magical bullet that will take the place of hard work, but if you put in the hard work, they seem to help.