The Tale of the Striped Back

As I was going to work today, there were a few light sprinkles. By lunchtime, the sun was out. About 3:30pm, the bottom fell out of the sky. When I left work at 6pm, it was just barely sprinkling. So I decided the rain was over, the levee was high up, and I'd ride anyway. Well, yes, the rain was over, and yes the levee is high up. However, Camp Jordan is not high up, nor is the Brainerd Road underpass. No fenders equals a big wet stripe up the backside from the rear tire, and a fairly wet crotch from the front (the seat blocked most, and my feet seemed to get wetter. Of course all this water did nothing but make me acutely aware of another problem, first noted about 2 miles out. I'd forgotten to bring my water bottle. About 3/4ths of the way through Camp Jordan, I decided to cut in to find a fountain. Well, there may be one there somewhere, but 3/4ths of a mile of riding and 15 shelters and buildings later, I certainly couldn't find one. Fortunately it was damp enough that I got most of my cooling from the air and I didn't sweat too horribly, and made it back just fine. Instead of drinking one of the two bottles I'd filled (one for the drive home) I went to the Golden Gallon and got some Gatorade, drank about half of it, then drank a whole bottle of water. That felt better.

A friend asked why I didn't ride down the steps leading to the Brainerd Road underpass. I found out why I don't want to do that, at least not when it is wet. No, I didn't try, but the shorter and less steep ones at the Shallowford entrance, those I did ride down. Halfway down with the rear brake locked (I dared not hit the front more than a touch) I was sliding and gaining speed, and it took ten feet to stop at the bottom. The underpass steps are three times as long, with a landing, and only have about five feet of sidewalk before heading on down the hill to the creek. I'd never make the turn at the bottom. Never. So I won't be doing that, I don't believe. Maybe when it is dry, but I'll try the entrance steps again first.

Having been around once, I was a little more aggressive this time. First 3 miles, about 13.5 MPH. About 12.5MPH until I got to the I-75 underpass, then roughly 17 or so (mostly down hill or flat, easy to maintain the pace and lots of coasting) until Camp Jordan. Only about 10MPH around the loop, partly because of walkers, partly because of puddles everywhere, and partly because of keeping an eye out for a water fountain. Then back under I-75 at about 12MPH on to Brainerd Road, then about 13MPH the last three miles back (I wanted that water!). Most of the speed changes were gears, not rhythm changes, although I did push a bit harder in a lower gear on the last 3 miles.

Anyway, I'm off to N.C. this weekend for an overnight, and I'm not taking my bike. Not into the mountains, not yet. I need to find a fairly hilly short loop of about 5 to 7 miles and work on that, just to learn how to ride hills. Whether that's trial and error or I ask for help I don't know yet. I'm still only riding 10 miles right now. With a slower pace I could probably go a lot farther, but I've been so out of shape I am trying to push things a little bit right now. It's kind of like two-a-days back in my football playing days. Surviving those two weeks generally made the long season a lot easier to deal with. Also, my every other day schedule hasn't been worth a darn lately, and I feel a little guilty about not keeping up with it. So when I do ride, I am pushing myself a bit. Not a lot, I'm not crazy and I don't want to get hurt. But like most other things, I am fairly competitive, and can't stand doing something I am not good at, and if I want to do it, I try to get better at it by myself at first until I can hold my own. Unfortunately, this is never something I'll "compete" at, so its probably not the best attitude. However, there is one person I can compete with, and that is myself. And maybe that attitude is not so bad.