Saturday, November 28, 2015

Day 13 - Nov 27

Well it is official, I survived!  It turned out to be a 75 mile day with 10,384 feet of climbing.  Yes, that is what I said, over 10,000 feet of climbing in one day!  A monster of a day it was.  But you will not understand that I felt the day before was harder.  That was the day where I just struggled all day long.  I could not get into the groove at all.  But yesterday I got myself psyched and ready to take it on.  The first part of the day was on very loose gravel and dirt.  There was a good deal of climbing with pretty steep grades.  But as I said, I was ready to take it.  It actually was quite enjoyable.  The scenery was breathtaking.  The hills and the mountains, the rivers and their valleys all made for a sensory experience that detracted from the pain of climbing.  We had a lunch stop right in the town square of a small village.  The setting was perfect.  As we came into the town the dirt road turned into cobblestone streets.  The cobblestones were not actually symetrical, not even close.  They were not laid in a pattern that made for a smooth ride.  As a matter of fact the dirt and gravel road was better than the cobbles of the town. 
After lunch we continued climbing as that was pretty much the agenda for the day.  We finally made it to pavement.  The thought was that now the riding would be easier.  Ha were we mistaken with that!  At first the incline of the road was a constant 3+%.  That gave way to 6+% which led to the real climbing!  Yes the last 10 kilometers was brutal...  We climbed almost 1,000 meters of elevation in the less than 10k.  I kept wondering what would give first, my energy or the hill.  As I learned it was my energy.  After every turn there appeared more climbing and more climbing and more climbing.  It was the never ending gift of pain. And it was hot.  It was so hot the sweat was pouring off of me as if I had a hose for sweat glands.  You could not replace the water fast enough.  I ran out of water but luckily the support van came to the rescue.  While they were filling my water bottle I downed a liter of water just by guzzling it.  Then off I went to climb some more.  This hill just kept going, it was the every ready bunny of hills.  A couple of times it gave you a nice flat section that you swore had to be the top.  Only to come around the corner to see more hill to come.  But finally the top appeared and what to my wondering eyes did appear???  A gorgeous downhill!  Yes the payoff for all of the pain was laid at my feet or should I say wheels....  And what do I do with such opportunities?!  You guessed it, let her fly!
The only issue was that the tour leader warned us that there were speed bumps strategically located on the downhill.  So the question at hand was...  do I go slow and watch for the speed bumps?  or go fast and watch for the speed bumps and then slow down?  or go fast, fast enough to be able to jump the speed bumps when they raised there ugly countenance?  You guessed it!  Option C was the right choice.  No sense letting a couple of pesky speed bumps interrupt a perfectly good downhill.
Let her fly was the choice of the day.  Off I went accelerating down the hill.  First speed bump, lift up the bike, gain some air and yes, cleared the speed bump.  The next one the same and the next one and the next one.  It was beautiful!  What a downhill with a few interruptions.  Made for a fantabulous end of a great but tough day.
And now for a rest day, and well deserved one it is...
















1 comment:

  1. Pfff...you survived the speed bumps without fall down.
    John and Hetty

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