My Saturday ride
The team workout today was ten times up and down a very nasty 2.5 km hill. Since, apart from a measly 14 km on Wednesday night, I hadn't been on my bike in four weeks and because it was due to illness and I'm still recovering, I didn't think this was the workout for me. Plus, I hate that hill. The greatest number of times I've ever gone up it on one day is three or four. Not ten. And it's incredibly boring.
Choice number two was to ride to the area where the team was doing the workout and then just ride back and forth on the straight, boring road.
Choice number three was to do hill work here in town, up and down the same hill that I ride on all the time.
Choice number four was to join my friend Itzik on his long ride. He was planning to do 80 km and ride to an area where I've never ridden before. I wasn't sure about the 80 km -- it sounded like a lot after not having been on my bike for so long. But the rest sounded a lot better than any of the other options, so I decided to just do it.
The first 35 km weren't hard at all. For much of the way, I drafted off of Itzik, which made things easier, but also meant that I was missing the scenery. Everything is green right now, which is a very big deal when you live in the desert. It'll only be like this for a little bit longer and then we'll be back to the boring brown that we see most of the year. But instead of looking at all the things that were growing along the road, I was looking at Itzik's back tire, which is pretty unremarkable. However, I suppose that was better than both of us getting a close up look at asphalt.
After about 45 km, we took a break. We ate, rested a bit and then went back out on our way. About a km or so later, I shifted down to the small chain ring and I saw something fly off my shifter. I had no idea what it had been, but I stopped to find out. This shifter has been giving me trouble for a while -- I can shift down ok, but shifting up is getting harder and harder and as far as I've been able to determine, it's the shifter, not the derailleur, that's causing the problem. Anyway, I stopped and got off my bike and found the little black thing that I'd seen fly. It looked more or less like a rubber band and I don't know what it's purpose was, but I guess it wasn't all that important, because the shifter worked fine without it (or as fine as it had been working before this rubber thing fell off). What I didn't notice until I was about to get back on my bike was that I had also dropped my chain. So I had to get my hands all dirty getting the very dirty chain (my whole bike is filthy -- time for a good cleaning) back on the chain ring.
Off I went again. Apart from the fact that I was falling behind, things were pretty much ok. But by 60 km, I was getting really tired. That might have been ok if I'd known that there were only 20 km to go, but apparently, Itzik misjudged the distance of the route he'd chosen, because at the 60 km mark, we were at a place that I know is 30 km from home. There are two ways to get home from this point. They're the same distance, but one involves a lot of hills. Itzik took pity on me and chose the other way (which is also basically uphill, but there are no steep hills and it's generally easier).
With 12 km to go, we took another short break. I was exhausted. My legs were screaming at me. I didn't have too many options, though, so I got back on my bike and headed for home. One km later, I heard "pssssssss..." So once again, I was off my bike, this time to fix a flat (in my front tire -- I've had plenty in the rear tire, but for some reason, this was the first time I'd ever had a flat in the front tire). I have to give credit where it's due -- it was Itzik who fixed the flat and not me (this is why I have friends). My job was to take off the wheel, hand him the tools and the pump and then put everything away and put the wheel back on.
Once again, we were back on our bikes and headed home. I was watching the numbers move very slowly on my bike computer and I was sure I'd never get home. I'd just die right there in the middle of nowhere with my tired and achy legs. Ugh. Everything was green on both sides of the road and on the left, I saw a camel grazing. What I really wanted to do was to stop my bike and take a picture, but if I'd done that, I'd probably still be there now. Instead, I just kept moving.
Eventually, I did get home. And my legs are still attached to my body. The ride ended up being 91 km. I don't remember the last time I rode that far and I never did it after coming back from an illness. Well, I have now.
Choice number two was to ride to the area where the team was doing the workout and then just ride back and forth on the straight, boring road.
Choice number three was to do hill work here in town, up and down the same hill that I ride on all the time.
Choice number four was to join my friend Itzik on his long ride. He was planning to do 80 km and ride to an area where I've never ridden before. I wasn't sure about the 80 km -- it sounded like a lot after not having been on my bike for so long. But the rest sounded a lot better than any of the other options, so I decided to just do it.
The first 35 km weren't hard at all. For much of the way, I drafted off of Itzik, which made things easier, but also meant that I was missing the scenery. Everything is green right now, which is a very big deal when you live in the desert. It'll only be like this for a little bit longer and then we'll be back to the boring brown that we see most of the year. But instead of looking at all the things that were growing along the road, I was looking at Itzik's back tire, which is pretty unremarkable. However, I suppose that was better than both of us getting a close up look at asphalt.
After about 45 km, we took a break. We ate, rested a bit and then went back out on our way. About a km or so later, I shifted down to the small chain ring and I saw something fly off my shifter. I had no idea what it had been, but I stopped to find out. This shifter has been giving me trouble for a while -- I can shift down ok, but shifting up is getting harder and harder and as far as I've been able to determine, it's the shifter, not the derailleur, that's causing the problem. Anyway, I stopped and got off my bike and found the little black thing that I'd seen fly. It looked more or less like a rubber band and I don't know what it's purpose was, but I guess it wasn't all that important, because the shifter worked fine without it (or as fine as it had been working before this rubber thing fell off). What I didn't notice until I was about to get back on my bike was that I had also dropped my chain. So I had to get my hands all dirty getting the very dirty chain (my whole bike is filthy -- time for a good cleaning) back on the chain ring.
Off I went again. Apart from the fact that I was falling behind, things were pretty much ok. But by 60 km, I was getting really tired. That might have been ok if I'd known that there were only 20 km to go, but apparently, Itzik misjudged the distance of the route he'd chosen, because at the 60 km mark, we were at a place that I know is 30 km from home. There are two ways to get home from this point. They're the same distance, but one involves a lot of hills. Itzik took pity on me and chose the other way (which is also basically uphill, but there are no steep hills and it's generally easier).
With 12 km to go, we took another short break. I was exhausted. My legs were screaming at me. I didn't have too many options, though, so I got back on my bike and headed for home. One km later, I heard "pssssssss..." So once again, I was off my bike, this time to fix a flat (in my front tire -- I've had plenty in the rear tire, but for some reason, this was the first time I'd ever had a flat in the front tire). I have to give credit where it's due -- it was Itzik who fixed the flat and not me (this is why I have friends). My job was to take off the wheel, hand him the tools and the pump and then put everything away and put the wheel back on.
Once again, we were back on our bikes and headed home. I was watching the numbers move very slowly on my bike computer and I was sure I'd never get home. I'd just die right there in the middle of nowhere with my tired and achy legs. Ugh. Everything was green on both sides of the road and on the left, I saw a camel grazing. What I really wanted to do was to stop my bike and take a picture, but if I'd done that, I'd probably still be there now. Instead, I just kept moving.
Eventually, I did get home. And my legs are still attached to my body. The ride ended up being 91 km. I don't remember the last time I rode that far and I never did it after coming back from an illness. Well, I have now.
posted by bari | 15:27
1 Comments:
This is a repeat as I just left the same comment on an older post, sorry. SO, to start again, , Would you have any tips or reconnendations on finding a rental bike and wet suit for the May 5 07 Emek HaJorden race. I want to race, but I won't be able to bring my gear with me. I'll check back
Thanks
Y in Can
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