Jack
had told me he thought something was wrong with the brakes on the Jeep on
Thursday. Then Holly drove it Saturday
and said she felt like if she’d had to stop in a hurry, they wouldn’t have
worked. Clearly it was time for a visit
to Dan. I loaded my bike in the Jeep and
backed out the driveway to the screeching of worn metal discs.
I
drove carefully to Dan’s, trying to roll through all stop lights and stop signs…when
possible. I made it out there in one
piece, amazed at how quickly brakes can go from functioning normally to the
horrendous sounds they were making. I suppose
they could have been getting bad and Jackie, a new driver with the volume up on
the radio, may not have noticed. I hadn’t
driven it in a couple of weeks and they’d been fine then.
I
unloaded the bike and prepared for a long ride home via Middlefield and Amish
country. I wasn’t sure how far I was
going to ride, but had ideas of somewhere around fifty miles. By the time I was actually rolling, it was
noon, sunny, and hot.
I’ve
been riding with one bottle of water and one of my diet iced tea lately. I’ve decided I would be better off getting
some sodium back in my system while riding as a way of possibly avoiding
cramping. It was hot and I was sweating
profusely in no time and began sipping early and often. I rode directly east out of Chardon on Butternut
Road and continued well into Amish country before turning around. I passed many buggies out for their Sunday social
visits and more than one Amish boy moving along on a scooter. I was impressed with the speed they could
achieve though I don’t know why none of them had bikes. I don’t know of any cultural reasons not to
use them and I would think they would be a natural…much faster than the
scooters they were using.
It
was a perfect ride and I was enjoying the sounds, smells, and views as I
pedaled east through farm country. I was
riding slowly and upright so that I could enjoy the scenery better, but had
lost track of just how far out I was and what it was going to take to make it
back home. I did some calculating and
came to the realization that if I turned at that moment, I’d likely end up
around sixty miles. I turned around.
The
ride back was good until around forty miles when general fatigue began to set
in. It wasn’t debilitating as when I’ve
bonked from lack of energy, but I was slowing noticeably. I had the option of shaving five miles and
one big hill off the ride, but decided I should push myself through it if I was
going to be ready for Tour Ohio. It was
a mistake I’d pay for later. When I
finally rolled up the driveway three and a half hours after starting and
dismounted, my legs were shaky. Dinner
was in a couple of hours and I needed to make a trip to the grocery store. I showered, made a smoothie and headed out
the door.
Normally
I’ll run through BJ’s and load my cart with the essentials in about ten
minutes. Not today. I was leaning on the cart and dragging my
exhausted body throughout the store and took over an hour to get what I needed
and load it into the trunk. I arrived
home just as company was arriving…which was good since I could get help
unloading. I spent the rest of the
evening like a slug; without energy and leaving a slimy trail behind me. I managed to clean the kitchen after dinner,
but barely and was thrilled to lounge on the sofa and watch a movie.
Bottom
line? When riding sixty miles on a hot,
humid day come better prepared. I’ve
been putting in some long mileage, but the conditions demanded more
fluids. I ride out in the country where
there are few opportunities to find water, but I did pass one church where I
know I could have gotten some and chose not to.
Dumb. The ride itself was pretty
good and I enjoyed it, but I shouldn’t be so whipped as to be of little use
afterwards. Once I begin Tour Ohio, I
suspect I’ll have more days like this. I’ll
have to work hard to replenish the energy and fluids I’ll be blowing through if
it is to be a successful trip. I know
these things. I can’t afford to be
stupid about them.
Bike duration: Three hours and 35 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.Calories burned during workout: 3000.
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