Ugh, why did I sign up for this?

[Skierchickie]

Take me with you. I want to get up earlier.

Sorry, Zen - I don't know what time zone Limbo is in, but I'm not going any earlier than 8:00 am EDT. Are you in?

[TrekTheKaty]

Knowing I've already plopped down the money usually motivates me. When it was 32F at the start of our scheduled century last year, I rolled over and went back to sleep.

[tharley]

I'm dreading Elephant Rock in 2 weeks. What were DH & I thinking when we signed up? We paid good money, so I will be going...just going very slowly.

[NoNo]

Well I went and I finished! It wasn't pleasant, at least not the first half. We started on the water, rode east about 10 or 11 miles, and then turned north. If you don't know Connecticut, turning north means going uphill. So we climbed. And climbed. And when you thought you were done, you climbed some more. In the end, we did 3300 feet. I went slow, used my granny gear liberally, and just went with it. The nice thing about this ride is that there's no set start time. So that meant that there was a constant stream of riders catching up to me and I was never alone. I really couldn't take much more leading up to the halfway point, and I was beginning to overheat. I stopped, poured some water on me, caught my breath, and continued on. On one of the uphills I had to make a right and two cars nearly collided in front of me, killing my momentum. On one of the big downhills, I heard a clunk and realized my bag had popped off the bike The second rest stop was a welcome sight. I knew the worst of the hills were behind me. There were some nice downhills, and I hit 45mph on one of them. But it was still rolling and my legs were tired. Slow and steady, I continued on. When I was a mere mile from the end, the guy in front of me hit some rubble in the shoulder and went flying into a signpost. He wasn't seriously injured, and while rolling on the ground in pain he screamed out "MY GARMIN! MY GARMIN! Where is it?!" There was a cop at the intersection we just came from, so we flagged an oncoming car to go get him. I continued on and finally made it to the end. Well, the end of the official ride. My brother lives two miles from the start, so we just rode to it, adding an extra 4 miles to an already long day.

Am I proud of myself? Yes, I was really surprised at how well I did. Would I do that particular ride again? No, it's just not fun. It's hard to enjoy the beautiful scenery when your gasping for air and focused on climbing the next hill. But I think it gave me more hope of completing my century in two weeks. That ride isn't nearly as hilly, so I think I have a chance.

Here's the elevation profile. As you can see, there were few breaks to be found.

[tharley]

Great job! I am very impressed.

[Maxxxie]

Yowsa! That looks like a lot of tough climbing. Congrats on sticking it out. Lesser mortals would've given up. Good on you!

Max

[TrekTheKaty]

WOW! Good job--century, no problem

[ny biker]

Here's the elevation profile. As you can see, there were few breaks to be found.

FWIW, this will probably change your definition of "a hilly ride." There are rides that I thought had killer hills when I first did them. Then I did a ride with seriously killer hills, and now I enjoy the old rides and realize they're not all that hilly after all.

Also when I do encounter hills now, I just think: I can handle it, I've done worse.

BTW NoNo, is the trolley museum in Branford still open? We visited it when I was very young.

[Zen]

I just can't believe that first wall. I would have had a nice walk there for sure.

[sundial]

Yeah, no kidding! No wonder you were dreading this ride! But you were tenacious enough to finish it and now you will look back and think,'That wasn't so bad.'

[NoNo]

FWIW, this will probably change your definition of "a hilly ride." There are rides that I thought had killer hills when I first did them. Then I did a ride with seriously killer hills, and now I enjoy the old rides and realize they're not all that hilly after all.

Also when I do encounter hills now, I just think: I can handle it, I've done worse.

True. I was rather pleased with myself for actually being able to ride up all the hills, even if I was only doing 5mph. And to be able to keep climbing throughout the whole ride. It made me aware of how far I've progressed as a rider, even if I'm not as fast or good as the people that were breezing past me.

BTW NoNo, is the trolley museum in Branford still open? We visited it when I was very young.

It's in East Haven, which is the town next to us, and yes, it's open in the summer. Oddly, I've never been there, despite growing up in this area.

Trolley Museum

Yeah, no kidding! No wonder you were dreading this ride! But you were tenacious enough to finish it and now you will look back and think,'That wasn't so bad.'

It made it all the more maddening because my brother, who's a good climber, kept saying "Oh, it won't be as bad as you think!" Easy for him to say! Part of the reason I actually signed up was because last week my dad came to ride with us, stipulating that there be no hills. I live on the shore, it's about as flat as you'll find around here, and there's nothing major on the route I take him on. But he still complained and whined about how he hasn't gotten better. I told him he wouldn't if he a) barely bikes in the first place, and b) never rides on hills. Then I realized the hypocrisy of me telling him that and telling my brother I refuse to do this ride because of the hills.

I feel pretty good today, just sore in the neck and shoulders, and a bit in the elbows. Legs feel surprisingly good. Oddly, my appetite is off, and I'm normally ravenous after big rides.

[Zen]

Sorry, Zen - I don't know what time zone Limbo is in, but I'm not going any earlier than 8:00 am EDT. Are you in?

I can do that. Let's go!