You've probably noticed I haven't posted anything about riding my bike lately; that's partly because I've been busy going through the car-buying process, but also because I didn't have my bike. It was time for its 60-day tune-up, a service that Cole's Bicycle Shop provides when you purchase a new bicycle from them. They check to make sure that all the wires and cables and chains are working like they should after the bike has been broken in a little.
Unfortunately, this is their busy time of year, so I had to wait a week until it was ready. And of course, the day it was ready, we were getting lots of thunderstorms, so I didn't want to bring it home in the pouring rain. I was finally able to pick it up on Saturday, but I didn't get a chance to ride it until today.
Brian and I met our friends TC and Steve at a church near Steve's house. Steve lives about 15 minutes from our house, so we thought we'd try a different area for bicycling. We asked Steve if he had a route mapped out for us, and he said he did. He explained it briefly, and mentioned there were a couple of "cruel hills." (That's a direct quote from Steve.) Boy oh boy, was he not kidding!
The first 15 minutes or so of the ride was great - we went on these bike/walking paths in some developments, and it was pretty much all downhill. Then we went on the road, and that was still OK.
But all too soon, we started climbing the first "cruel hill." We hadn't really had the opportunity to build up any momentum, so it was really rough going. In fact, it was so rough going, that all of us ended up getting off our bikes and walking part of the way to the top! Brian stayed on his bike the longest, but even he had to admit defeat eventually.
Poor TC, who I want to make clear is usually one of the leaders, had it especially rough. He started the ride with a headache and had only eaten a bagel for breakfast. By the time we got to the top of the hill, he was not in good shape. I was not feeling too great either, but not as bad as him. So we ended up taking quite a substantial break at the top of the hill.
When everyone finally got their breath and strength back (cause even walking the bikes up the hill was a decent workout!), we continued on our trip. Steve said there was another small incline, then a large downhill slope, and then next would be the second "cruel hill."
When I got to the downhill part, I thought, "OK, I can do this. I'll build up my momentum and start pedaling furiously so I have a good shot at getting up this next hill." Well, the start of the hill was around a bend, so when I came around the corner, pedaling quickly with optimism and hope, I was in for quite a surprise. At that point I said, "Never mind," got off my bike, and joined Brian and Steve, who were already walking their bikes up the even-steeper second hill. I couldn't believe I had been shut down twice in one day! But it did make me feel somewhat better that nobody else felt up to the challenge either.
We had to take another brief break at the top of that hill as well, but then we continued on. A little while later I did manage to come from last place and beat everyone up another (more moderate) hill, but I really didn't take the lead the rest of the time.
This ride was definitely the hardest one I've done yet. I think it was a combination of things: not having been on my bicycle for over a week (the elliptical machine is just not the same!) and the weather. We were riding in the middle of the afternoon on a very humid day, and although the sun wasn't out the entire time, it was out most of the time, so that made it pretty uncomfortable.
By the time we got back to our starting point, I was really wiped out. I basically felt the way I did when I rode on the Rails to Trails with my brake rubbing my back tire the whole time. (That was probably my second toughest ride ever.) We stopped at a mini-market on the way home to get some Powerade, and by the time we were walking out of the store, I was feeling worse than ever. I made Brian drive home because I just felt so awful.
Luckily, the Powerade (I actually had Powerade Zero - didn't want all those extra calories!!) really did start kicking in, and by the time we got home, I at least wasn't feeling lightheaded and nauseous. But I was still really tired, and I had to go lie down a little while before I could even take a shower.
I think we're planning to ride again tomorrow - at least Brian, TC, and I are. But if Steve does show up, I don't think any of us are going to let him pick the route!! ;-)
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