Tuesday, March 6, 2018

While watching Lance Armstrong on a six-hour training ride in a cold rain, a segment of the documentary ‘The Armstrong Lie’ Monday night, it occurred to me just how much punishment and pain cyclists put themselves through.  If it is raining, I won’t even start a ride.  It’s too uncomfortable, not great for the bike, and unsafe for the rider.  Tires don’t grab well on slick pavement and brakes aren’t as good as when they’re dry.  But it’s that cold, wet rain penetrating to every ounce of your skin on a sustained ride that makes it most miserable.  On two recent rides I’ve started out dry, but with rain in the forecast.  Both times I thought I’d get lucky…and I’m 0 for 2.  I whined during and after.  I saw Lance saddling up and riding out into a rain storm, knowing he’d be going for six hours.  Hell…I’m not crazy about riding six hours when it’s sunny and seventy.

Yesterday however, was a different story.  The forecast said mixed rain and snow for the late afternoon and it was around 35 degrees and overcast when I left the farm, so I had no intention of riding.  I’m a real sissy Mary.  As I drove into the valley though, the skies began to clear.  I checked my car thermometer, which read ‘47’.

“No way,” I said out loud.  “I think I’m gonna ride.”

I got home to an excited Dakota.  She had that ‘let’s go for a walk, daddy’ thing going on, but I let her in on the secret.

“Dakota – I’m riding.  Sorry, but your walk will have to wait,” I said, with some guilt.

I headed up SR 303 east with the intention of riding the paved bike/hike trail north.  My goal was to follow it as it sloped gradually back towards the valley and pick up Riverview Road for my ride back home.  After crossing several roads and thinking I was far enough north to affect my plan, I stopped at one of those ‘you are here’ kiosks to see exactly where I was.  Aurora Road was directly in front of me and on the map it showed that it crossed toe Towpath down in the valley.  It has a wide shoulder in good condition, so I elected to follow it down.

After a couple of miles and very little descent, I started wondering about where I would be picking up the Towpath.  I could see a bridge just ahead and as I rode out on it and looked down, I noticed the Towpath snaking its way along the Cuyahoga River…200 yards below.

“Shit,” I said to no one.

I crossed into Brecksville where I got my bearings and realized was at the intersection where Riverview Road dropped into the valley.  I raced down the hill and picked up the Towpath.

I had my road tires on the bike and riding on what is normally hard packed limestone screenings is not a problem.  Soft packed from a recent snow however, is problematic.  At two different times, I nearly went down as my front tire sunk into mud and started to slide.  Maybe fifty years on a bike had something to do with my staying upright, but I figured the sooner I got off the Towpath and back on pavement, the better.  I rode four miles on this marginal surface before doing just that for the return home.

It had cooled considerably as the sun set with the temperature closer to 35 by the time I made it home.  Still, I was thrilled with being able to challenge the elements just a little and get in another winter ride.  The next several days will likely not be so favorable, but Dakota will be happy because we’ll be hiking instead.
Bike duration: Two hours.
Training Heart Rate: 135 bpm.
Calories Burned: 1,500.