After dad left on his little adventure, we took our time getting ready and eating breakfast. The official start of the ride was at 8:00 so we had plenty of time to relax before hand. All week we've been keeping an eye on the weather... the forecast had been suspect at best all week. The news that morning told us that we were in for partially cloudy, 62°, and possible thunder showers. The sky looked pretty clear though, so we were optimistic about the rain. As it turned out, conditions were just about perfect- we didn't run into any rain- except for the wind.
Mom and Suzanne decided that they only wanted to do 45 miles, but I was all set to do 62. If you click on the links and check out the maps, you'll notice that the 62 mile route is just the 45 route with an extra loop added on. That worked out well, because the ladies rode with me to the Newton rest stop and just waited there while I went on. Up to that point (about 17 miles in) the riding was not bad. It was a little chilly for a while, but then the sun came up and we were cruising and doing just fine.
I left Mom and Suzanne at Newton around 10:15. As soon as I started out, the wind decided to show up to burst my bubble. Not only that, but the first 10-15 miles of that extra loop was mostly uphill. Riding uphill into the wind I was averaging about 10 mph, which is almost, but not entirely, completely unlike fun. The last bit of the loop was mostly downhill though, and it started with a wicked hill. I let loose on the way down and got going about 45 mph. Mom pitched a fit about me going so fast (something about I could have crashed and died, or something) but I have to say it was wicked fun!
I made it back to Newton around 11:30 and ate a quick lunch. Of course, by the time I got there, the ladies were ready to go, especially since there was a dark and sinister storm wall looming in the distance. I was pretty knackered at that point though, and really just wanted to relax a bit before going on. They ended up setting off ahead of me with the expectation that I would catch them up. I almost did, too, before they made it to the next rest stop.
The end of the ride was uneventful. The wind was grueling and I apparently made a nice wind block. There were a few places where the pavement was wet, but we didn't get rained on ourselves. For the last 20 miles or so, I was really in the groove of things and just sort of checked out and let my legs do the work on their own. We finished around 2:30. All in all it was not a bad ride, but certainly not the best I've ever done. Stupid wind. I guess I should be really thankful we missed the rain and had sun most of the time; more than Dad can say.
I would like to say that the Bonneville Cycling Club, the guys who put on Little Red, set up the rest stops at odd places. The first was only 5 miles out, the second was Newton at 17. There weren't any stops on the extra loop for the 62 miles, so I went 20 miles straight before I got back to Newton. On the way back, the next stop was only 6 miles farther, then it was another15 miles, but it was only 5 miles from the end. Last summer when Dad and I rode the ULCER the rest stops were spaced much better. It's funny, because Bonneville does both rides.
Here are some pictures of us and the Big Bad Wolf... get it, 'cause the ride was Little Red Riding Hood. It's at the end of the ride and we all have our celebratory sparkling cider.
Me and the BBW
Mom, BBW, Suzanne, Me
No comments:
Post a Comment