Damn, A Lance Armstrong, Again!
I call it a “Lance Armstrong” when your brake is rubbing on your bike; in remembrance of the Time Trial he won in the Tour de France with his brake rubbing.
I have been planning this ride for over a week; I’m pretty compulsive about checking the weather, and I knew Monday would be a great day: kids in school, weather above freezing, some sunshine, let’s roll.
I’m trying to get my endurance up,
Get some fitness back.
I’ve had a rough go at it.
I’ve been slowly working on it; between breaking my foot, and freezing temperatures, it’s been a rough go.
I don’t want to say I’m getting ready to race, because well, I haven’t had the best of luck getting to my races lately. But I am hoping to see the dancing cactus over in the Franklin Mountains next weekend.
So the ride was to ride the foothills from beginning to end; Agave to Tram, or vice versa.
I had thought I would ride SS at first because the trails have snow on them. On my walk in the morning I realized I was too tired to ride Single Speed and I better go with gears.
So off I went.
I decided I better hit the South Foothills 1st so I went up to Bear Canyon and over.
It was going pretty good.
I managed a complete descent down into that last valley before 40 without dabbing or walking. Instead of going to the Agave (I did that last weekend) I decided to go West on 365 and see where that took me, so I climbed and climbed and saw, well the trail to no where I wanted to go today. I about turned and headed back.
I’m not even 2 hours into this ride, and I am fighting the demons. I don’t understand why I am so tired. I’ve had a good 4 hour ride, a great 3 hour ride, and I feel like I’m 35 miles into the Puzzler, when you hit the back side of the mountain and there’s no one. You’re totally alone, tired, wondering if you’re going to make it back to the other side.
I was watching the clock, the HR, the miles. None of them seemed to be moving. I even tried hiding it all so I couldn’t see any of it. To no avail, I was just played, and the mind was trying so hard to get the body to quit, to go home.
I’m not giving up.
It’s never an option.
I just kept at it.
Back over the the North Foothills.
A runner went in with me, she stopped, to let me pass. I told her to go; that I was redefining tired today and she best go ahead.
She was the kind of runner I wish I was. Maybe I am, it’s just been so long, I can’t even remember.
At this point, I was just thinking to myself, that’s why SS, even in a 33 x 18 is faster than gears, at times. Here’s a runner, running faster than me, and I’m not even 20 miles into yet. It was mentally debilitating and man the legs were fried. I was thinking to myself,
“man, the South Foothills is so steep, it leaves nothing in my legs”.
At mile 22 I got off the bike, checked the front tire, and well, by rotation 6 it was at a dead stand still.
And I was too tired to ride SS, well, I guess the jokes on me. HA, HA.
So 3 hours and 22 miles into it, I decided I would re-align my front wheel, and man, it was like I was flying.
I wanted to be done with my adventure by 4, and with 22 miles of pure bliss strength training on the bike, I decided I would not climb back out of the Tram, that I would head down to the road, over to Elena, up and back to trail, over to Bear Canyon Arroyo.
It’s a no wonder I was slower than my runner friend.
I’m glad that I didn’t give up. I got 36 miles in, 22 of them, on who the heck knows what gear.
All I kept thinking for the last 1.5 hours is:
I sure wish I had the power numbers to go with it!
Coming soon!
Here’s a new goal that spawned yesterday, I would like your help with:
Should I ride up Placitas to King of the Mountain and back down the Canyon, South Foot Hills home.
Or Foothills to Canyon, up Crest, to Placitas and back?
You’re Awesome,
and don’t you ever forget it!