Weekend in the Berkshires

[Crankin]

Hi Lisa,
I have been to all of the restaurants you mentioned (did I already say that the other half of our trip is eating???). Is Chatham 50 miles round trip or 50 miles one way from GB? Maybe next year we can ride to your house for a day, but probably not if it's a century. I wouldn't mind taking a trip out there in the fall, either.

Well, I wouldn't think that I could do those climbs either, but I do. I always complain, but everyone just knows that I do, and then I quiet down. There's an alternate route for the "Taconic Challenge" ride, but I think the one we did in Otis was almost as long. My friend rides at a slower pace than me and she gets up everything! She's been riding for years, but I think it proves that you don't have to be a speed demon to attack the big hills. In fact, what helped me on this trip was conserving energy and slowing down.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Robyn,
I would have said that I could have made the big climbs SLOWLY and steadily too if I paced myself....
but last week when we went to GB (50 miles round trip) we took a different route back that had a really long fairly steep incline. I know it's steep (for me) because I am going about 3mph for over a mile. This one really had no level offs to rest at, and the shoulders just drop off to woods. Anyway, this was on the way home after a big day and I actually had to stop and recover for a while and sit on the ground right in the woods because 2/3 of the way up my legs began to shake and I started feeling a bit strange. I got off the bike right away (I always pay attention to my body!) and just sat on the ground for 20 minutes drinking and eating- though I had been drinking and eating all along anyway.

After that I was able to complete our ride without incident, but it reminds me that after only one year of biking I actually "do" have limits, and those limits are probably lower than for others who have been biking for years.
It's good to know one's limits- and to be able to readjust them as time goes on too!

[Crankin]

Lisa, after one year of cycling I was still riding my yellow Voodoo mtb on the road, with an average of 12... I climbed some big hills in Harvard, MA on that bike, but NOTHING like the Berkshires. So after one year of cycling, you are doing great. I didn't ride anything longer than probably 20 miles at the most until I got my first road bike, after two years.
I didn't stop on that long climb, because frankly, I never would have got started again! So, if GB is a 50 mile round trip to Chatham, we should definitely plan to meet up. I will let you know the next time we are out there.

Robyn