Mountain View in January

It's been awhile since I've blogged - I've spent the last week not feeling too well. The big down-side to that is that my weight loss stopped, and I even put on a little. Not a lot, but a little.

Anyway, Bartman calls BowWow and says, "hey, it's just above freezing, but there's not much wind, how about we do an outdoor ride out to Mountain View this afternoon?" As it turns out, BowWow wasn't able to make it, but Chico, myself, and Bartman headed out.

As we're leaving town Bartman turns around and says, "Now, we're all out here just to enjoy being outdoors, right? No hammer-fest?"

I replied, "absolutely, just happy to be out here."

Chico replies, "no comment"

Oh oh.

The wind kicked up and before we're completely out of town we're fighting a 35km/hr headwind. Not the worst we've fought, but it also tends to make things a little colder, too. Not to worry, with the headwind and climbing (it's all up-hill on the way out) our heart rates are all in the 160's and we're keeping warm. We stayed together and got a pretty good 3-man paceline going. By the time we got to the turn-around point we running nice and smooth.

I remember when Mtn View was tough to get out to in an hour when there was no wind. We got there in an hour today after fighting this wind all the way out! Our turn-around was another kilometre past Mtn View.

We hit the turn-around, and the fun began almost immediately. There's these little roller climbs - only about 4-5%, and about half a km long. On every one of those Chico hammered up 'em. Bartman and I just sat back and let him do the work, but we had to work pretty hard to stay with him.

Across the false flats (about a 1% downhill run) Bartman and I were running out of gears. We had our climbing gears on, which gave us a 50/12 combination - Chico had a 52/11. Finally we get to Monson's Hill. This hill averages 8%, and lasts for just over a km - a great climb. Chico took the lead, and Bartman and I jumped on his wheel. Half-way up Chico kicks it up a notch, I match him, Bartman doesn't. By the time we get to the top I've still got more I COULD go, but I'm saving a bit. Bartman got DROPPED (he decided not to let his HR go over 173) We waited for him on the backside of Monson's, then Chico hammered up Little's Hill - Bartman and I both stood and sprinted to catch back to his wheel - and I caught him just as we crested. Bartman dropped off and we didn't see him again until the end.

Over the next few hills Chico and I hammered one another trying to push the other guy harder.

Finally, we hit town. There's a side-road that runs parallel to the highway, and I glanced over at it and saw a big SUV just up the road from us. I pointed it out to Chico and warned him that she'd probably blow through the intersection in front of us. As we approached, she stopped. Wow, I thought, that's unusual. We came around the corner at about 40km/hr - and then she turned in front of us. I swung out wide to give some more room and locked 'em up. She stopped in the middle of the intersection so that we'd have a nice broad target to run into T-bone style. Somehow we both managed to avoid her. Guess that'll learn me to trust my instincts on that corner!

Only a few more blocks left - Chico kicks the speed back up, we hit the last corner at 45km/hr, and just as I'm about to start my sprint Chico backs off and says "go ahead, take it." WHAT?! Oh well, I like to finish it off with a good sprint, so I unleashed my sprint for 2 blocks and crossed the finish at 60km/hr spun right out at 120.

Once again - a nice little stroll in the hills... finished in 1:40 for 50km - (hit the turn-around at 1:03, so 'twas a quick return.) No hammer-fest there!

It felt so good to be outside riding again. I won't get a chance to even get on my bike on a trainer for another week now, as I leave tomorrow to hit the road for a week. It'll be YMCA and hotel gymns for the next few days. Now, if maybe I could tape my mouth shut to food....