The twosome at Christmas, now 4 and 3.
Being the bright one that I am. I decide it'll be a good idea to ride my bike down there. 60 miles by my estimate. This despite never having gone more than 20 something in one sitting.
The morning couldn't have been more perfect for it. Clear, slight winds but nothing unbearable, and warm. Left the house at 7:30 loaded up with various bars, gel, and gatorade. First hour took me past Albion, made one wrong turn off 106 that added a mile or two to the route when I realized I needed to turn around.
From there it was off towards Whitewater, probably the most trying portion of the whole ride. I've driven it a hundred times, and always expected WW to be just over the next hill. This segment also contained the only real drama of the trip when I lost my chain going down a hill trying to build up enough speed to carry the next one.
I managed to get lost in WW, never really getting into town, but instead skirting it to the southwest. I ended up finding my planned route out of WW 5 or so miles later and continued on, probably saved time with the alternate route.
About here I started seriously thinking about stopping for a break. Was about 2:20 in, first thought was the 40 mile mark, then I settled on 3-hours, since I was keeping track of mileage per hour. When three hours hit, I figured I was only a couple of miles outside of Elkhorn so I'd ride until then.
At 52-miles I finally stopped at a gas station in Elkhorn, ate my first solid food, took my first bathroom break, and called the wife to see where they were at. Part of me was hoping they hadn't made it that far yet and they could pick me up. Legs were shaky, ass was sore, and I was feeling the combined effects of two days in the sun. Unfortunately they were already in Lake Geneva so I decided to push on rather than have them turn back to get me.
Fortunately, H from Elkhorn to Lake Geneva was recently paved and was as smooth as one could possibly ask, making the last leg much easier. It was in this stretch I also hit my max speed of the route. 33 something mph on a long, long gradual decent. It was the first time I had it in the big ring in probably 2.5 hours.
Lake Geneva couldn't have come soon enough, and after 3:55 (actual riding time) and 62.6 miles I pulled into my sister's house on some pretty shaky legs. I'm feeling pretty good about the effort, I'm actually a 1/2 hour early for the party, am relieved to finally be there, and extremely happy I gutted it out.
This is where I think everyone needs a 4-year old to bring them back to earth. My daughter, who is playing in the driveway looks at me, while I'm still standing over the bike, and says, very matter of fact like, "Daddy, you're very late." Thanks Mel.
I'm sore but not nearly as bad as I've felt after some of my longer runs. I'm curious to see how I'll feel tomorrow.
1 comment:
Awesome ride! Holy cow - 63 miles. Very impressive mileage! Way to stick it out and reap the training benefits plus help build the confidence. I have 4 hours on the horizon this weekend and I hope I can make a strong effort like you did. Congrats!
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