Friday, April 3, 2015

March 31

Today was a big day.  It was scheduled to be a 110 mile day but turned out to be 112!  But who quibbles over a couple of miles here are there?!   In addition to the extreme distance there was over 1,500 meters of climbing for the day.  Now that is a BIG day.

It was to be a good ride on pavement all the way until the last 20 kilometers.  But after about 5K the road disappeared.  The Zambian equivalent of a highway department tore up the old road and hadn't yet decided where to put the new one.  The "road" that we biked was gravel, sand and red clay mud.  There were deep pools of water thanks to my new friend, the rainy season.  As we rode I was slipping all over the place. The red clay mud made it seem like I was  biking on an ice skating rink.  Slip sliding away so to speak...  After about 10 miles the road reappeared, yay!  But to our dismay Zambian road relocation began again about 15 miles down the road.  To add to the enjoyment I had my second flat in as many days.  The only tubes I had were the punctured ones from the day before.  So ahunting I went to find the little holes and repair them.  That took some time as they were only small pin prick types.  But I digressed...  back to the road portion of the story,  the torn up portion of the road lasted another 10+ miles.  Who tears up 10 miles of road without some viable option???  Oh well, it just added an element of excitement to a Century plus ride.  

My new friend the rainy season made another reappearance in the afternoon.  He did not act up as bad as the day before but soaking none the less.  It does have its advantages though...  you don't have to worry about how much water you carry. There is certainly an abundance of liquid.  All you have to do is lean your head back and open your mouth.  You will get as much as you want.  Maybe too much!  One word of caution:  do not attempt to breath in while doing the above exercise as drowning will result.  :)

I rode from 6:30 in the morning until about 3:30.  With the distance to travel, hills to climb, flat to fix, road conditions and rain; I did not see much scenery as I had my head down and pedaling.  I had to tell my legs quite often, shut up and keep pedaling.  :(


When the rain comes, it really comes.  You feel like one of those NFL coaches that gets the Gatorade cooler poured over your head.  The only thing is it just keeps coming down.

1 comment:

  1. Is the rain going to be a daily event? If so, you will look like a prune when the ride is over.

    It would seem to me that you are making good time even with the challenges you are facing. I would be getting in after supper or maybe just before breakfast.

    Good swimming and have fun.

    Ray

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