Training Ride: 30 Some Miles

 

Training Ride: 30 Some Miles

 

Saturday’s ride was solo, for the first time in about three weeks I went out on the road myself for a longer ride.  I must admit, I wasn’t mad at it at all.  I road within myself and my limits, which is what I need to remember to do when riding with better more experienced riders.  I am slow.  That’s ok, I have been on the bike for 3 ½ months.  A year ago, I couldn’t even ride.  I am more terrapin than hare, and that is just fine with me.  Slow and steady finishes the ride. 

 

Going up my first climb on Saturday which is GreenBill Climb #1 was amazing.  For the first time that I remember I went from East Avenue to Tesla with a big shit eating grin on my face.  GreenBill #1 has never been so easy or felt so good.  I was amazed with my progress up and how good I felt going up.  No panic, no worrying will I get to the top, just a nice assent to the top and back over to Tesla. 

 

Climb #2 on GreenBill was also a really good climb.  My legs had the right amount of juice in them to get up and over the hill.  I really felt like my training had been paying off.  I really felt like for the first time I was attacking a little bit more on both GreenBill climbs and felt really strong.  Although as good as I felt about them, I had lingering doubts about where my ride was going to take me.  Even before I set out on Saturday, I knew climbing Portola to Collier Canyon Road was on my route.  I wanted to climb that way so bad.  The week before David and I had taken it down from Manning Road and it was a long, awesome decent.  I am not sure what I was thinking adding it to my ride?  Anything that was a long two mile fast decent was going to be an ass kicker going up.

 

Climb #3 from the dead end on GreenBill is never easy.  However, I will say it was easier than it had been in the past.  I just felt really good going up and over it. That down hill going back to Tesla is fantastic.  It is fast and the wind in your face is awesome.  I topped out at 36 mph coming down.  That is just good fun after climbing three hills.

 

After my climbing I went out Tesla to bike path that starts at Mines Road. I really should learn the name of that bike path.  I have ridden four weeks in a row, and I really enjoy it.  So, probably should start learning the names of things. I think it is the Arroyo Bike Trail.  There are rollers on the trail and a couple of nice fast downhills as you get close to Sycamore Grove. 

 

I went for a potty break in Sycamore Grove.  Now you think the three ladies who decided to have their sowing circle right in front of the bathrooms would have told me they were actually in line, they just like to talk in really stinky places, because I stood there and waited for like 5 minutes before they finally said oh, we aren’t waiting.  I mean come on. Why stand right in front of the bathroom doors.  Then when you see a gentleman and his bike standing there wouldn’t common courtesy just tell you to move?   I mean I could here them blabbing away inside as I entered the rest room.  I actually took my bike into the restroom with me.  It was big enough.  It is actually a really nice bathroom.  I just wouldn’t want to stand in front of it and talk about the best ways to avoid paying for parking at parks in the area.  Idiots.  After I took care of business, reloaded a water bottle and pressed on.  Knowing each pedal was taking me closer and closer to Collier Canyon. 

 

The riding was nice.  It was not too hot. Overall, it was a really good day out on the bike.   The switch back to the old bike seat really paid dividends.  No back pain until the very end of the day.  No real ass pain, which is always nice.  I took my time and road Holmes to Murrieta and finally to Portola where I knew my day could take a turn for the worse.

 

Portola takes you over 580.  Then sends you to Collier Canyon.  It wasn’t a bad uphill to get over the freeway. I was a little worried about it but made it up and over without a killing myself.  I sat in my middle ring as I took Portola. I keep asking myself if I was ready for this and if I was going to be ok.  I kept answering myself I wouldn’t be, but I would press on. 

 

When I finally got to Collier Canyon, I tried to make up all sorts of reasons to turn back.  That I shouldn’t be riding out in the middle of nowhere by myself.  I didn’t listen to myself and I just kept going.  Collier Canyon road is a slow steady climb.  It is nothing like Cross Road, although both are similar in the nature of the long slow climb, but Collier Canyon was longer, maybe a 2 to 3 mile climb where the grade never went above 4%.  I only had to use Granny once the entire climb.  It was work, but it was good work.  It was a nice climb.  I wondered a couple of times if it was ever going to end, but overall, it was good climbing.  It was not the monster I had made it out to be.  Plus, it made coming down Carneal and Manning so much fun.  I loved it.  I was happy as could be coming back down from Collier Canyon.  I probably passed by 20 bikers, and I told them all great job and gave them a thumbs up.  Man, I loved riding that road and I am going to try and figure out how to work it in more often.  Now if I could just get Cross Road to be that pleasurable, I would be going places.    

 

With Collier Canyon behind me, it was now time to switch to the big ring and head for home.  The rest of the ride was delightful.  Riding roads that I have come to know like the back of my hands as I have ridden them all summer long. I am starting to think that 35/40 miles might be the perfect distance.  It just seems to agree with me.  Plus 3 hours in the saddle makes a much happier bill than 6 hours in the saddle.  Don’t get me wrong, I am going to keep doing longer rides, but I think I am zeroing in my sweet spot right now.  I never thought I would say that, but I do enjoy me a nice 35/40 miles ride. 

 

All in all ended up riding 36.73 miles yesterday and climbing 1,282 feet.  It was a really good ride. 

 

This week we move down to 90-minute training rides twice and then 60 miles with the Beaver this weekend.  Should be a great week!