Marc invited me out. I've been missing riding but haven't found any motivation to get back out there. Le Tour seemed to get me in the mood. Wheels down at 8am to beat the heat. Although Marc and Matt were still getting ready so I left about 15 minutes early.
Woody's - Clockwise from the Rockpile... Woody's first. It was an effort just to get all the gear from the hundreds of boxes still littering our house. Hooking the heart rate monitor and gps up was somewhat foreign. I started climbing. Didn't feel too bad. Tried to take it easy but the heart rate wanted to be at 150bpm+. Fine... there's not much you can do about that... you have to turn the pedals over. The Woody's climb was uneventful. I enjoyed being out there. I figured Marc would catch me before the top but I made it. Flew down the backside to the store, bought some gatorade. Marc bought some insulated water bottles so I copied him... they were working well.
Wolfpen - I hate the ride between Woody's and Wolfpen. Wolfpen climb was uneventful... did a little out-of-seat on the steeper parts. My descending skills are definitely tentative right now. I braked hard on the hairpins but took the softer turns hard.
Neel's - Surprised I hadn't been caught I continued up the backside of Neel's. By now the heat was starting to come out and my heart rate was sitting at 160bpm and there wasn't much I could do about it. Still, I was very surprised at how well my legs were handling everything. I mean, 7 months without a ride or run. After six years of big training. I figured something odd would happen. Made it to the top and had a dream... a dream to make it to Turner's Corner before Marc caught me. So I descended. And the heat continued to rise. On the little climb near the bottom I really started to feel the heat. I probably went a bit too hard down the mountain... should have coasted but I really love those descents. And I made it to Turner's Corner.
Neel's Part Deux - A couple minutes after turning around to climb Neel's again Marc and Matt caught me. The plan was to go back around the other way... Neel's, Wolfpen and Woody's back to the car. I was still in high spirits when Marc left me to climb at his own pace. But the heat was upon us and by the top of Neel's I was melted. Heat exhaustion. Power draining from my legs. I knew I would have to turn around and head back to the car the short way. Luckily Marc and Matt had waited for me so I could tell them and say goodbye.
The Worst .8 Miles - I hate that part between Turner's Corner and the Rockpile. Hate it on a good day. Melting in heat, 3.5 hours into my first ride in months... well, I really hated it. I kept watching my GPS. I swear the last 1.2 mile climb took me forever. The last .8 miles just stuck there. I've had my share of explosions and deathmarches back home. I no stranger to distance dilation. But this was something else.
Once I got back to the car I felt fine. As I write this, the next day, I have no soreness at all. I'm motivated to keep getting out there. Thanks to Marc for the invite. I'll have to get back into shape so he doesn't have to wait for me so much.
Running vs. Racing and Runner vs. Racer