I was scheduled to meet Bruce for a 20-mile ride, but I knew he’d be going a little more slowly than I was used to traveling and I wanted to get in a longer ride, so I planned my route to meet him in the park after I’d already ridden 27 miles.
I pushed hard in the cooler temperatures and felt great as I pulled into the park. He hadn’t arrived yet, so I hopped off the bike and did a little walking and stretching. It didn’t matter how hard we would be riding, time in the saddle is time in the saddle and if I was to be on the bike another couple of hours as I knew I would, I’d need to give my neck, shoulders, and butt a time out.
He arrived on time...he always does...and pulled out his light-weight road bike. He’d picked it up on Craig’s List for $600 and it was a beauty. I picked it up, amazed at how light it was. Noticing the gear ratio I said, “Bruce...sweet ride. With this gear set-up, you should be able to ride up the side of the Terminal Tower so don’t start whining like a little girl when we hit a couple of hills.”
“Oh man...you said ‘no hills’,” he said, with that little girl whine.
“Did I? Well...we’re in a valley. How did you think we’d get out of it?”
“Couldn’t we stay in it?” he asked.
It was a good thought, but I had that covered. “The bridge is out in Gates Mills, so you’d have to ride up Old Mill. That, or we can head north and ride up the hill by Squires Castle. I’d recommend north,” I said, failing to mention that we could get past the bridge in Gates Mills by taking the pedestrian bridge and walking our bikes. I’m not a big fan of River Road for cycling. Though it is beautiful and scenic, running along the Chagrin River, and very popular with cyclists, it’s also quite narrow and heavily traveled by vehicles...something I look to avoid at all costs. He could see he’d been painted into a corner and chose north.
As we approached the first hill, I reminded him to use his easiest gear. “Walk that bike up the hill,” I said, which meant take it slow and easy, get up out of the saddle and save yourself for the rest of the ride. People new to the sport tend to want to ride in the harder gears and push from the saddle to climb any hill as quickly as they can. I suppose they think getting to the top quickly will be easier on them then spending more time on the hill moving slowly. The opposite is true. Pushing hard on one hill and could empty the tank for the rest of the ride. You have to know yourself, the course, and when and for how long to attack a hill.
He made it to the top...but barely.
“I had to walk on that one the last time,” he admitted once past it.
“You used the gears well. Try going slower on the next one and getting up out of the saddle. Use your body weight to force the pedals down by standing on them. That’s ‘walking it up’,” I said.
“The next one?” he blurted.
We rode down into Waite Hill, climbed another hill of medium size, and then went over a series of rolling hills on Eagle Road as we made our way to Route 306. By the time we arrived there, he was played. I suggested a break on the church grounds at that corner, and after fifteen minutes, he was refreshed and ready to go on.
We made our way back to the cars over the next thirty minutes with only one more hill. He was exhausted upon our return and embarrassed about his performance.
“You make it look easy...and you’d already ridden two hours,” he said.
“Bruce...I’ve been riding like this for over forty years. I’ve got a slight edge. Do a ride like this once a week and you’ll be ready for that flat ride to Sandusky and you’ll be leaving your buddies in a trail of dust. We’re doing this again...and soon,” I said.
Like any sport or activity, it just takes a little time and discipline. Riding is so forgiving because of the gearing. If it’s set up right, there are few hills that can’t be conquered, even by beginners. He’s a stubborn, determined guy. He’ll be back for more soon.
Bike Duration: Three hours and 30 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 2500.
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