Number Seven and a Little Redemption
Yesterday I completed my 7th 200K on my way to an R-12. It was also the 4th time I finished Jobob's East Bay Permanent.
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=26076
Two weeks ago I attempted this ride and the temps were over 100. I DNFed at mile 103. It was a huge disappointment for me because it totally messed up my training plans for the rest of the month. I have a sprint tri next weekend and I have not done a brick since before my Half Ironman that was in early August. The sprint tri doesn't have an Athena category, so it's not like I'll win any prizes. :p I'm just going to go and have fun.
Yesterday's weather was totally different. The temperature stayed in the mid 60s - low 70s all day and the sun didn't appear from behind the clouds until 1 o'clock.
I saw lots of deer and wild turkeys climbing Calaveras and lots of motorcycles and other cyclists. It was a huge contrast to the ride two weeks ago when hardly another soul seemed to be on the road.
Climbing Palomares I got caught in the middle of a group riding from Alameda. I stopped at the summit to have a Hammer Gel and chatted with them for a bit. On the descent I saw MelissaM and Dachshund climbing. I shouted hello to both. In the middle of the descent I got the warning that battery power was low on my GPS. I haven't been riding with the GPS lately, but since my Polar was in the shop, I used it to track my mileage and speed. Fortunately, I was coming into Castro Valley and I stopped at a Radio Shack and picked up some more batteries.
The next section I think of as a three "bumps" climb with each bump getting smaller. The first is Redwood, with views of the reservoir off to your right. The second is Pinehurst and you know you are at the top when you see Dan's name in the road. The descent begins with a reminder for Dan about his hair. Every time I ride this I wonder what the event was and why the hair reminder. Canyon's bump is really little, but it always gets me and I end up going into my little chain ring for it. It is at mile 68 or so of the ride.
Down into Moraga where I got a large Red Bull, a bottle of water, a banana and a bag of ice at the Safeway control. I definitely have a routine for each stop when I do this ride. Even though it was not hot, I know I'm more likely to drink if the liquids are cold.
I have a relatively easy section for the next 15 miles or so, until the climb up Pig Farm Hill. The wind was gusty and was a little cold. I guess Autumn really is coming. Pig Farm is a tough little climb. It starts out relatively gently with two small stair steps that are quite widespread. But the end has three stair steps that are very close together and the last step is a bear. However, once you conquer Pig Farm, you can coast at 20+ mph for the next few miles.
My last checkpoint is at a Starbucks in Martinez. I gave Thom a call, so he knew he had about two and half hours before he needed to pick me up. I had thirty miles to go and I was definitely feeling the effects of little riding this month. Fortunately, I'm settling back into a work routine. Every school year is different because every class is different. It takes me a few weeks to adjust.
I was a little nervous about this next section because I was coming up on where I DNFed. I knew I was feeling much better than I did two weeks ago. This section was new for me as Jo changed the route. It is a good change. The new road has more shade and less traffic. It feels like the climbs on it are shorter as well - at least until you get to the last one. The last climb on a road is always the worst. :rolleyes:
The final 15 miles are always a bit of slog for me. The road does tilt up slightly and I just want to be done. I was listening to Bowling for Soup on my Thumps. Music definitely makes this section more palatable. I beat Thom to the pick up at the Safeway in Dublin. The last 30 miles surprisingly only took me two hours and 15 minutes.
I wasn't thrilled with my overall time or average speed, but given how little I've been riding - only five rides, including this one, this month and three of them were my sub 5 mile commute to work and so don't really count - I can't really complain.
Only five more 200Ks to go.
Veronica
