big brick

welp, i survived this weekend's big brick (85mi/4mi), no disaster-title needed.

i was still slow (14-15mph avg), but i felt good coming off the bike to run. i need to keep doing my speed work, obviously, but i'm glad my legs felt strong for that long.

my lady parts were pretty unhappy, and thusly i was pretty unhappy, even with copious amounts of chamois butter, from miles 55-70. but magically around mile 70 i got relief. a non-medically induced pudendal block (careful, search is probably NSFW) kicked in, and it was all smooth sailing after that. the CTO tells me it's the cycling equivalent of a runner's high. i've never had one before, and i'm hooked! i will be sorely disappointed (ha! see what i did there!?) if it doesn't happen on the next long ride...

the only downside to this brick was my aero cages. they did not survive. POS is being retired right here, right now. y'all have any recommendations for good rear-mount cages that won't launch bottles at the hint of rough road? that aren't profile design? (booooo HISSS)