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So.
43 miles yesterday worked out pretty well after all. Didn't have to get off and walk except for the time I stopped to check on a guy (he was having brake trouble) partway up a short steep slope where I couldn't get up enough momentum to start moving. I won't say some of these hills didn't hurt like hell, or that there weren't a few where I verified no one was coming before taking up quite a lot of zigzagging back and forth across the road to effectively reduce the uphill angle of any given stretch, or that I didn't spend an amazing amount of time in the lowest gear/chainring combo Oorah* had available, but... I made it through and I didn't stop on the hills to breathe (I stopped on a few long low upgrades to drink water or swallow a packet of sugar goo- I'm sorry, 'energy and electrolyte replenishment gel'). And I made it through 43 miles in about four hours, maybe four and a half, which is kind of amazing given a) the hills and b) my past approximate times over the 39 miles of the Five Boro Tour. So I'm good.
I did this ride to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, seeing as how a good friend of mine was diagnosed with leukemia some months back. Probably going to do more events with them when I can. Other people did this ride for an area homelessness charity, and a lot of others did it for the Seeing Eye, which has its headquarters in the Morristown area. There were blind bicyclists involved. No, seriously. They were all paired up with sighted riders- and on tandem bikes, you know, the old school 'bicycle built for two'? Like that. Sighted rider in the front, blind rider in the back. Bit slow on the uphills because those tandems are heavy, but mother of God do not get in their way on the downhills. There were downhills where people on singleton bikes were hitting forty miles per freaking hour. Those tandems, even if they took the downhills with all their brakes on the way I did, must've been blowing through those downhills like a Japanese bullet train.
Survived the downhills okay, myself, despite the occasional patchy pavement, the sharp turns, and the lack of sunglasses. Fell and bruised my entire right side on the way home after all was said and done, which was not as bad as it could have been because I landed on the rather large duffel I was carrying with my clothing in it, but I would prefer not to do that again.
Next stop is the MS New York ride on October 2nd. Thirty miles, one lap of Manhattan, city streets and highways only.
*The bike was named Oorah some time ago. On the first long ride I took it out for, I was trying to decide on a name for it. I passed a car with a lot of 'my kid is in $MILITARY_BRANCH' bumper stickers, one of which happened to have the Marine Corps motivational slogan 'oorah' on it, and that's when I decided on its name. It was that or Irene, after the hurricane, and that just didn't seem like a wise idea.)
43 miles yesterday worked out pretty well after all. Didn't have to get off and walk except for the time I stopped to check on a guy (he was having brake trouble) partway up a short steep slope where I couldn't get up enough momentum to start moving. I won't say some of these hills didn't hurt like hell, or that there weren't a few where I verified no one was coming before taking up quite a lot of zigzagging back and forth across the road to effectively reduce the uphill angle of any given stretch, or that I didn't spend an amazing amount of time in the lowest gear/chainring combo Oorah* had available, but... I made it through and I didn't stop on the hills to breathe (I stopped on a few long low upgrades to drink water or swallow a packet of sugar goo- I'm sorry, 'energy and electrolyte replenishment gel'). And I made it through 43 miles in about four hours, maybe four and a half, which is kind of amazing given a) the hills and b) my past approximate times over the 39 miles of the Five Boro Tour. So I'm good.
I did this ride to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, seeing as how a good friend of mine was diagnosed with leukemia some months back. Probably going to do more events with them when I can. Other people did this ride for an area homelessness charity, and a lot of others did it for the Seeing Eye, which has its headquarters in the Morristown area. There were blind bicyclists involved. No, seriously. They were all paired up with sighted riders- and on tandem bikes, you know, the old school 'bicycle built for two'? Like that. Sighted rider in the front, blind rider in the back. Bit slow on the uphills because those tandems are heavy, but mother of God do not get in their way on the downhills. There were downhills where people on singleton bikes were hitting forty miles per freaking hour. Those tandems, even if they took the downhills with all their brakes on the way I did, must've been blowing through those downhills like a Japanese bullet train.
Survived the downhills okay, myself, despite the occasional patchy pavement, the sharp turns, and the lack of sunglasses. Fell and bruised my entire right side on the way home after all was said and done, which was not as bad as it could have been because I landed on the rather large duffel I was carrying with my clothing in it, but I would prefer not to do that again.
Next stop is the MS New York ride on October 2nd. Thirty miles, one lap of Manhattan, city streets and highways only.
*The bike was named Oorah some time ago. On the first long ride I took it out for, I was trying to decide on a name for it. I passed a car with a lot of 'my kid is in $MILITARY_BRANCH' bumper stickers, one of which happened to have the Marine Corps motivational slogan 'oorah' on it, and that's when I decided on its name. It was that or Irene, after the hurricane, and that just didn't seem like a wise idea.)
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One, for biking 43 miles, running up stairs, and all the other crazy physical things you do. And two, because you do it for charity.
Seriously, you rock some awesome socks.
*applauds and bows before your mightiness*
P.S. I love the name of your bike.
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(Four o'clock is fish o'clock because I don't think I should have to get up that early for anything except a fishing trip. Five o'clock is bakery o'clock because you have to start the ovens at a bakery very early in the morning to have the pastries and breads ready for the first customers.)
no subject
You're awesome and I also love the name of your bike.