Though only a mist, there was some precipitation falling when I opened the garage door to begin my ride. I NEVER begin a ride in the rain, but that was before. I’ve become more dedicated to my riding and have decided that if Lance would do it, I should too. He rode in the rain all the time.
It was actually quite pleasant as I started down the driveway. The temperature was probably in the high seventies and with the mist, it felt pretty good. It was supposed to be in the nineties and sunny...I put little faith in weather reports on the North Coast and was happy with it as it was. I had a strong feeling I’d see the heat before the ride ended and I didn’t think that would be until the early afternoon. It was 9:30 a.m.
I rode through Waite Hill and had to use some caution on my first downhill. Slick roads and skinny tires at speeds approaching 50 mph can be hazardous and although Lance fell frequently, I didn’t want to. The sun broke through and the roads dried quickly as temperatures raced through the eighties. By the time I reached and climbed my first long hill, it was easily ninety and I was sweating profusely. I went through my first water bottle and was well into my second when I decided I needed to refill. I found a gas station at the corner of Bass Lake and Mayfield Roads with a garden hose hanging off the rear of the building and used it.
I was heading south on Bass Lake Road and came up against a ‘Road Closed: Local Traffic Only’ sign. Every cyclist knows this does not apply to them...or if they don’t – they should. I rode past. The next couple of miles was quite pleasant since I didn’t have to share the pavement with any automobiles and I never did see why the road was closed...another reason I tend to ignore the signs. Now and again, I’ll come up against a bridge out, but all that means is I’ll be carrying my bike across some water. This sign has been posted for a month...I’ve gone around it before...and I have to believe that the locals must be getting pissed that they have to drive miles out of their way. Well...maybe they didn’t know nothing was happening before, but they will now.
I don’t know if I ever knew exactly how far I wanted to ride, but I was feeling strong as I passed two hours and decided I’d push past 60. I thought of how to extend the course, did it, and then had visions of 70 miles. I started backing off on the speed and heavy gears fearing I’d start cramping in my quads as I had been before the surgery, but as I passed three hours in the saddle without incident, my confidence grew. I completed the final hour on the bike in a state of semi-exhaustion, but reasonably strong. It was the longest ride since the birthday triathlon.
I did all the usual recovery things; dunk in the neighbors’ pool, a blender full of smoothie, and a little bragging to Holly about how manly I was. Of course, I was too tired to do any chores around the house and it was too hot anyway...so she wasn’t too impressed. The good news...I rode four hours and 70 miles with no knee pain. I did feel it when I was bending though, and whatever bad thing happened on the 10-minute run was still there. My plan is to wait a week and try another ten minutes. In the mean time, I’m going to do what Lance did...ride.
Bike Duration: Four hours.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 3400.
No comments:
Post a Comment