top of the knob before the downhill
really goes down the hill...I hear voices.
real ones.
catch two fellas, not part of the group.
"is this the CupCake Ride?!"
"are you riding with the CupCakes?!"
uhmm, I guess so, yeah...
[& thanks for letting me by,
the mythical unicorns of
TumblingRun should also
be along at any minute...]
things I should write down.
Roxbury is tough fucking climb.
Gizmo stats showed sustained 15-16%
early on, then a ramp from 12ish up 15%
as you roll up thru the line cut.
274 is pretty steady, some 13-14%, but
nothing unexpected after descending
it a few times, just a steady grind.
Germantown. oy, loose bullshit
scattered 'gravel' over hardpack.
hell of a climb regardless,
sustained 13-14% for the last
7 or 8 or so minutes with some
nice views to the left, will take
pics next time I drive it.
Horse Valley Run, it is my river Ganges.
Soak the legs, mile 65, reboot and shuffle
the deck. Have a snack at the store, then
75ish north until...that right turn.
74 South up over Tuscarora.....ouch.
It's a beast, in three parts. Pitchy bits for
ten minutes on up around the left hand bend
until the tight right hander. Tough kick to start,
13ish if I recall give or take, then the mid
section between hairpins is manageable,
steady 9ish recovery pitch for ten minutes
before the turn with three fun ramps that top
out at 14-15% just before rolling over the top.
Ride across a big rolling valley, things are
getting interesting...
Wagg's is Wagg's as pr usual, it sucks.
Even mores at 100miles in. The right leg
cramped up as the pitch steepened, been a
while for that classic scenario...pushed thru
it and still somehow set a Strava, PR....so
must be doing something right, I guess.....
having a good time regardless.
p.
freakin'.
r.
that was fun,
111 on the gizmo,
longest for me,
solo solitary road ridin'
long day checking to
see if certain demons
have been exorcised..
signs point to yes.
the full answer.....well,
it was an amazing day
for a ride on a bicycle.
pieced together a grand
daddy BSRR route, that
quickly looks like a stepping
stone.
to some place.
7gels, 2clif bars, $20, 2bottles, scouted route to shake things down. Roxbury/274/New Germantown/follow 75-ish to 74south up over Tuscarora & Waggs. Clockwise loop maximizes refuel locations...after the big climb, not right before, but backloads the climbing...Wagg's at the century mark? perfect. Shiny new hoops on the road machine shod with fresh Conti 25's, along with select carpet fibres to take the edge off have really livened up the ride....and I've got all day, the weather looks prime, so why the hell not? Let's see if the Garmin battery lasts longer than that damn phone ever did.
not sure how many squares there are, exactly.
but I feel like I'm a good step on the way out of
Square One, finally. Square zero sucked, that
was about a month ago, which was around
500ish miles, having been bitten off in big,
quiet, solitary chunks.
Odo on the road bike read 1231 yesterday, when
it got swapped for the fancy Garmin gizmo. That's
from when new, but add 65ish for the 'demo ride'
I took before writing the check....420 is where we
started this spring, so 1420 is the door to SqRE 2,
that'll mark the first consistent block of 1000 along
the white line in a long while.
In a long while.
Wanna get this last 200 done in short order, then
soak it in for a couple weeks while doing TU work
in June and try to sharpen up some with shorter efforts
in between commitments. And there's no real reason
right now, not a single goal really, other than improving.
And theres lot's of room for that, lots.
That was a peak experience a few years back,
no doubt. A hell of a ride to get there and doubt
I'll ever have that belly of fire to reach those heights
again....and that's life, enjoy it, appreciate it and give thanks.
It does feel good to be pedaling a bike for me
again, for my reasons, on my terms. It's been a
while, and the fishin's been good too...
I guess it's how I roll.
So far my road bike
constitutes the rebound.
The road has always
been good to me. There's
a lot to be considered and
explored along that solitary
white line, it'll take you
places if you let it.
Always keep an ear out
for traffic, ya hear?
about a post,
that I should maybe write
about
my current situation.
let's just say I have a bit more free time
on my hands.
I've been filling some of it
with long bike rides.
I have another one planned,
it looks tasty.
to a place I've longed for.
work on restoring the diesel
first.
the turbo comes later..
and the fishes are hungry,
still good times on the water.
upheaval, I guess it has its benefits,
shake her down to the foundation,
bikes, trouts, a good night's sleep.
