Road Kill Riding

There was no backing out this morning. Our friend Ron, who is also training for the Smart Ride, called around 8am to say he was up and ready to ride. I'd mapped out a route that was about 18.8 miles long. I say "about" because the end of the ride involves cutting through the HS parking lot, an apartment parking lot, and across a pedestrian bridge to get back to old Greenbelt. While I can cut through the parking lots in my car, getting it through the posts and onto the pedestrian bridge was going to take some really fancy maneuvering. My brother the Apache pilot probably had a better chance. So "approximately."

The fun begins as we head down Research Road to the Beltsville Agricultural Center, which we back up to. The nice part is the gate to Research is closed on weekends, so no cars are chasing you up or down that hill. The bad part is that the gate to Research is closed, involving a little off-roading (Ron's method) or limbo under the gate (Julie & Kathy's method). Then it's all downhill. Weeeeeee! Of course, that means that at some point there are hills to go back up. All I can say is thank goodness for multiple gears. Through a little mis-communication, Ron (in the lead) turned on a different road than I had mapped out. Good news -- it shaved about 2 miles off the ride! And I think a big hill or two that we would have had to ride up. Darn.

Ron waited for us at the HS parking lot -- he lives across the street and didn't need to follow us home only to turn around and bike back. Ron says he's out of shape, but that man can go! His legs powered him up hills with only a minimum of cursing. And gravity makes him whoosh like a rocket down the hills. I reached a max of 24 mph that I saw...sometimes I'm too afraid to look down at the speedometer. Hmmm...wonder why I don't have that problem in the car?

The first couple of miles I struggled and wondered if I was going to make it. My thighs were pretty stiff and uncooperative. But once I warmed up it was better. The challenge for me is eating enough. I am blessed with a fast metabolism. Kathy and Ron are not. (think molasses) I need to eat something about every couple of miles. I confess, I am not coordinated enough to eat while riding. I can drink water as we ride with camelbacks. I am impressed when I watch the Tour de France and see those cyclists whipping through the "feed" zone and getting their bags, rifling through to get what they want, eating, drinking without missing a beat.

Oh yeah -- the road kill part. We saw a dead raccoon, 2 dead squirrels, 2 dead little frogs and a dead praying mantis. What beautiful scenery, right? :-)

Oh and Val -- I kept reciting the name of your brother when I was struggling up some of those hills. He helped a lot.

To others reading -- if you have friends or loved ones with HIV or AIDS, tell me their names and I'll add them to my hill riding mantra. Believe me, it helps get me going...just a little boost of energy.