Today, I rode our annual "Chicken Ride," so named because it goes by a chicken farm with a very large plastic chicken outside on a post. We cluck as we go by.
This has to be the most challenging ride I do that's close to home. 45.8 miles in central Massachusetts, starting in Westminister, going through Sterling, Rutland, Barre, Hubbardston and back. There are 2 long climbs, not too steep, maybe 5 percent in the first half. There's good downhills, but the roads are in terrible shape. I have never seen so many potholes. It was getting hot and I didn't feel really zippy until I ate a Cliff bar after 19 miles and ate a Cliff Shot block. Lunch is at 28 miles and then the fun begins... you go downhill for about half a mile and then there is a nice 10-13% percent climb. I remembered that and felt prepared. I even dropped my husband, who had a momentary lapse of power. What I didn't remember was the next climb. My husband said, "Oh yea, that's where you were crying last year!." Well, I didn't cry, but I think it's the only time I have felt like stopping. I thought I was going to fall over. I could barely push the pedals at 4.5 mph! I haven't looked at my Topo program yet, but I am pretty sure this climb was 15-17%, based on what i did in Europe last summer. Then, another downhill, and another climb. Not as steep, maybe 12% but longer. We stopped to eat again (another Cliff bar) at 36 miles and then headed back to where we had parked the car. It's a slight uphill almost the whole way back, for 9 miles. Not terrible under normal circumstances, but my legs were shot. Total average for the day, a whopping 13.01 mph.