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| Karen and Billy |
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| Art and Billy |
Today's ride was no exception in the learning department. I rode to the commuter lot, something I have been doing a lot of lately. My team gathers at the commuter lot to start our ride. Once there we may have a 'mission minute' when we remember why we are riding (to raise funds to help cure leukemia), or we may have a 'mini clinic' to address some training issue. Or, we just meet there and start the ride. Since I live only 4 miles from the commuter lot, I have taken to 'riding to the ride'. I have become one of those people. I have found that I can ride the 4 miles in about 14 minutes, cruising down route 4 with an average speed of about 16 mph. Not too shabby, considering that when I first started Coach Henry was doubtful that I would be able to maintain the 10mph average that was needed for Tahoe. The most difficult part of these 4 miles is merging from the shoulder on the right to the left hand turn lane to take a left onto Town Farm Rd and into the lot. Since I was on the road at about 7:30am, I had a lot of morning commuter traffic to deal with while making my merge. POC (piece of cake). One year ago, this would not have been possible for me to do.
Today, Bill (BillyTooTall), Art (our honored hero, 2 time lymphoma/leukemia survivor), and I were going to do a training ride, 56 miles to celebrate Bill's 56th birthday. Sounds like a lot of fun, only I needed to remember that on Saturday I did 63 miles, with quite a bit of climbing, and the route Bill planned for us today also had a lot of climbing (3168 feet according to my phone app). So, legs were sluggish to say the least. Another challenge, how do I face this hilly ride, starting out on dead legs?
We headed out with a mind set of having fun. We deviated from the planned route a little bit by omitting Lovely Street and heading right to the intersection of Huckleberry Hill and Rt 4, making the short steep grade our first little challenge. Once done with that, and continuing on through the construction we made it up Huck Hill, not bad, it is a nice little climb, and then the dreaded downhill. Now, downhills have always been a challenge for me, but I have made progress. I learned from Jim Kimball and John Ambrose, to slide back and get my weight more over my back wheel, to loosen my vice-like grip on the handlebars and brakes, and to keep my knees close to the bar, I tired putting that into practice today. The downhill isn't long, but it is steep. It has a blind curve and a street that comes out onto it from the other side of the cemetery, one oddly placed manhole cover and then a drainage grate that sits right where my bike wants to be, and then at the bottom, as if to add insult to injury, there is a big, fat, red stop sign. So, although not the hugest of downhills, it poses a challenge for me. I usually go on New Road and take the easy way into Collinsville and avoid Huck Hill altogether. But not today. I was not going to wimp out in front of the men, today, I would conquer that down hill. And I did. I did use my brakes (Brake Free is a little slogan that Charryse came up with to help me up my game in the downhill department right after I started riding). And, while I was not totally brake free on Huck Hill, it was the best I have ever done on that hill. I finally learned the right way to feather the brakes (feathering does not equal squeezing with all your strength - who knew!?!?). Yes, I did better, not great, but better! Challenge Huck Hill ... over.
We turned on 179 and then another left onto 202 towards Torrington. The bottom part of 202 was newly paved last year. Awesome job, I tell you! No more raised manhole or drainage grate covers like the last time I was on 202. Only beautiful smooth pavement, and a beautiful steady climb. Once we crossed the Canton town line into New Hartford, you could see the difference in pavement, but we kept climbing. This is the kind of hill I adore. Rt 202 goes all the way into Torrington, and it climbs the whole way. Never is it very steep, but a continuous 3-4, maybe 5% grade the whole way. There are a couple of places where the road flattens out some, but not for long. There are no real downhills. There are some 'false flats' as Art calls them, places where you can gear up a little bit and go a little faster, but you are still climbing. Then there is the one spot that really faked me out. We were climbing and I could see the crest of the hill, and then it looked like it would go down (and maybe a little off to the right). So, cresting the hill, I shifted up as I normally would, into a higher gear, getting ready to go downhill, hoping that I could gain momentum to make it up the next grade... HA! There was no downhill. It totally got me! It just went up yet again. Turning off Rt 202 and onto Torringford St, we stopped at the church for a snack and drink (and I said a short prayer.. Please God, flatten the road!).. ha.. prayers unanswered. The climbing continued, but more in a rolling hill fashion. Ups and downs.. some really, really good downs!!! I was able to hit 38.2 mph. Again, another milestone for me, since last year I would have been squeezing on the brakes so hard I could smell the rubber burning. I think last year my max speed, and that includes Tahoe was 32 mph, so for me, 38 is a great improvement.
We ended up back on Rt 44 in Winsted, headed out to our new favorite ride to Riverton, had another snack and headed back on tired legs (okay, tired legs that were maintaining a pretty good clip!). The bulk of the climbing had been accomplished in the first half of the ride, a good thing, yes, but there is something to be said for pushing on with tired legs. Learning to maintain the energy needed to complete a 109 mile ride, means that at times we will be pushing on with tired legs, best get used to it now!
Today, was a joy, a gift, and I think we squeezed it for every drop of good that was in it. Bill, celebrating his birthday, Art, (again, a 2 time cancer survivor), celebrating being able to ride, and me, just celebrating overcoming a couple of challenges, knowing that a year ago I would have taken the easy way, turned right instead of left, and squeezed the brakes really, really hard.
Interesting things I saw (and want to go back to with my camera):
A hen turkey
A little grouping of 3 antique looking birdhouses in someone's yard
A monster in someones yard, dressed in red, white and blue.. rather resembled some Republicans I have seen lately
The church bell where we stopped for a snack
The broken bridge in Riverton.
My thanks to the general store in Riverton who are willing to sell me one piece of Provolone cheese :) Thanks guys!
And a special thanks to all of my friends and family who are facing special challenges of their own and who rise above. I learn from you!
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