April 7, 2013

The longest miles

The KCUC 300km(+) ride is done... And, like so much overcooked bacon,
so am I. I had pushed the under-trained barrier too far this time,
got cocky and went out too hard, and broke my own rule and
cross-trained the week-of the ride, starting the ride sore and tight -
feeling like I'd already ridden.

The Midwest springtime continued the trend, with sustained 25 mph &
gusty cross/head winds all day. Though temperatures were pleasant, and
we stayed dry, the constant wind reduced my pace to single digits for
hours - putting me at risk of running out of clock. Had the wind not
died around sunset, literally, I would have ridden for a DNF. I ended
up with a great group of three - sort of a repeat of the 200k
snow-ride - which was great - but we were all toast. No drama, we
finished with a scant 35 minutes to spare. We might as well have
ridden to the moon... Wow. Just wow.

I will take the finish, make no mistake - but, it was a long, long, tough day.

Still great moments, but lots of low ones, too. I'll take it... Time
to recover, and reassess some things.

Stay tuned...

Del, Steven -- thanks for hanging with me. We earned this one, big time.

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