Forfeit the Game
Went for a group ride today with Gretchen at French Creek.
I'm pretty sure it was a little over my head.
As you can see the conditions were awesome. When most places were sloppy wet mud, French was frozen with a light dusting of snow.
Gretchen started up front with the fast guys. After getting whacked a few times, she realized she was getting more then she bargained for. I didn't see how, but it wasn't long that I noticed the familiar jingle of her collar at my rear wheel in the back of the pack.
We started off from Shed Rd. and did Miller's Point. I'm familiar with Miller's Point, but I think this was the first time I'd been on an entire ride (at least for me) at just Miller's Point. The normal thing (as far as I can remember) is to bomb down to the bottom then climb back out.
Not today.
Instead we went down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, up, up, and up.
I was so out of my league.
To top it off, I fell on a bridge and busted my knee. It hurt so bad I couldn't concentrate enough to fix the flat I got when the bike jammed itself into the rocks. Luckily Topher and Keith stepped in to take a load off.
Too bad I couldn't get any help for the climbing. Holy crap was it a lot of climbing. I really had trouble imagining or remembering riding those hills, let alone as fast as the group was doing them. Every time I got to the top to find everyone waiting for me, they'd head off down another hill to climb up once again.
It was torture.
But I was outside - plodding along and enjoying the weather. Gretchen kept me company, while I wearily wondered how many hours and miles we had gone. Without my bike computer I was blind (dead battery). I had no idea if we'd done four or fourteen miles, though I'm pretty sure it was closer to four.
I figured at some point we'd go back by the cars and I would make my exit. It was probably too short for Gretchen (she was playing fetch by 4:30), but I was done. I had only ridden once in the last two to three weeks.
This was too much.
Turns out riding my bike up all those hills was masking another issue. When I got in the car to drive home, my knee started to throb. It hurt like crazy. My pant leg laying across my knee was enough to make me wince. I thought for sure I'd get home and have to have Jen take me to the emergency room. I had to call her for distraction from the pain as I drove.
When I got home and unloaded the car, the pain subsided again. Subsided enough for me to get some lunch, sit down in the recliner and sleep. I was out cold for about an hour.
I'm so out of shape.
Oh well. Hopefully I can start riding more regularly and get back out there.
- b
I'm pretty sure it was a little over my head.
As you can see the conditions were awesome. When most places were sloppy wet mud, French was frozen with a light dusting of snow.
Gretchen started up front with the fast guys. After getting whacked a few times, she realized she was getting more then she bargained for. I didn't see how, but it wasn't long that I noticed the familiar jingle of her collar at my rear wheel in the back of the pack.
We started off from Shed Rd. and did Miller's Point. I'm familiar with Miller's Point, but I think this was the first time I'd been on an entire ride (at least for me) at just Miller's Point. The normal thing (as far as I can remember) is to bomb down to the bottom then climb back out.
Not today.
Instead we went down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, up, up, and up.
I was so out of my league.
To top it off, I fell on a bridge and busted my knee. It hurt so bad I couldn't concentrate enough to fix the flat I got when the bike jammed itself into the rocks. Luckily Topher and Keith stepped in to take a load off.
Too bad I couldn't get any help for the climbing. Holy crap was it a lot of climbing. I really had trouble imagining or remembering riding those hills, let alone as fast as the group was doing them. Every time I got to the top to find everyone waiting for me, they'd head off down another hill to climb up once again.
It was torture.
But I was outside - plodding along and enjoying the weather. Gretchen kept me company, while I wearily wondered how many hours and miles we had gone. Without my bike computer I was blind (dead battery). I had no idea if we'd done four or fourteen miles, though I'm pretty sure it was closer to four.
I figured at some point we'd go back by the cars and I would make my exit. It was probably too short for Gretchen (she was playing fetch by 4:30), but I was done. I had only ridden once in the last two to three weeks.
This was too much.
Turns out riding my bike up all those hills was masking another issue. When I got in the car to drive home, my knee started to throb. It hurt like crazy. My pant leg laying across my knee was enough to make me wince. I thought for sure I'd get home and have to have Jen take me to the emergency room. I had to call her for distraction from the pain as I drove.
When I got home and unloaded the car, the pain subsided again. Subsided enough for me to get some lunch, sit down in the recliner and sleep. I was out cold for about an hour.
I'm so out of shape.
Oh well. Hopefully I can start riding more regularly and get back out there.
- b
posted by JenBob at
6:33 PM
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