Being retired has meant that I wake up each morning and think, "Which bike should I ride today? For how long? Maybe I should go paddleboarding or go to yoga class instead."
The decision-making has been really, really difficult. I am sure you feel my pain.
We don't have a ton of roads around here but the roads we do have are relatively peaceful, scenic and long. It can be hard to go on "just a short ride" because around the corner will be something even better to look at such as an abandoned mining town or another mountain or anything, really. This is not good for riding because everything in moderation, right? If I ride 5 gazillion miles on my road bike today, I may not be able to do some epic mountain biking tomorrow. Oh, the agony.
I meant to do a quick 30-miler out to the reservoir and back the other day. And by quick, I mean the first 15 miles would be super quick due to tailwind and the next 15 miles would be super slow due to headwind. Then something truly bizarre happened: I had a tailwind BOTH WAYS.
Think on this for a minute. It was an out and back ride. I stopped for maybe 10 minutes at the marina.
HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?
I have no answers, only gratitude. THAT was an awesome ride.
That night, we went to the I Bar, where I hung out with this character. He is not quite sure how far 30 miles is. Also, someone should tell him to wipe his face.
The whole reason I only did 30 miles that day is because the next day, I planned a 70-miler. By myself.
I have done 70 miles before. I have never cycled that far alone. I am definitely not scared to ride far alone. I just happen to know that 70 miles goes much quicker if you have someone to share your suffering with. In this case, I would be sharing my suffering with Me, Myself, and I. And I have to admit, Me, Myself and I are not the best cycling companions. Too quiet to be any good.
My turn-around point: Taylor Reservoir.
I felt really good at this point. Probably due to the tailwind that got me here. 15 miles of headwind later, I dragged myself on to the porch of Harmel's Resort, bought a Coke and 2 Gatorades and looked for my big girl pants so I could finish the damn ride.
It took 20 minutes, but I found those elusive big girl pants. Unfortunately, they didn't contain any speed, only resolve. That, and the fact that I had no cell service and no one was going to come pick me up, carried me home.
Side note: Headwinds suck.
Second side note: Road riding around here yields sweet views.
Yeah, I finished that thing. Even though I had to remind myself that I basically only did HALF of the West Elk Classic, the 134-mile ride I signed up for in December.
Then I was forced to put my head in my hands and sigh. Back on the bike I go.
