Training Ride: The Siren’s Call ~ 35 Miles

 

Training Ride:  The Siren’s Call ~ 35 Miles

 

The ride was supposed to be 60 on Saturday but unfortunately David, AKA the Beav, was feeling unwell.  No Beav and rising temperatures in Livermore on Saturday made me rethink my cycling strategy.  There was no reason that I had to do 60 miles other to say that I did it twice before the ride in Santa Rosa.  I decided that riding alone and not wanting to ride in 100-degree heat, I would half the ride and do 35 to 40 miles.  Shit happens, and we must modify our plans.  No, need to kill oneself. The riding is supposed to be fun, so go out and enjoy it.  That might rub some people the wrong way, but if it does, I don’t care.  Since, I have started this thing it is about doing what I like when I like to do it.  If I feel like swimming, I swim.  If I feel like riding, I ride.  If I don’t think riding in 100-degree heat is going to be a good time, I am not going to do it. 

 

When I mounted my bike at 8:45 or so on Saturday morning, I had a vague idea what I was going to do on the ride.  I was going to peddle out to Laughlin, go right on Northfront, go right on GreenBill, heat to Patterson Pass, take it to Cross, and then go up and over the big bump on Cross, as I coasted down, I would let the MADNESS kick back in and turn around and go back up Cross to Patterson and then just see where the road took me.  I thought about heading back to Collier Canyon because I really liked that climb. I started to worry a little about the MADNESS.  Why was I driven to go up Cross, then down Cross, to only turn around and ride it again.  Just like why was I drawn to the climb up Collier Canyon?  Why did I want to drive to San Jose and ride Bailey?  Why did I want to go back up Del Valle?  I couldn’t answer any of these questions as I toured around the neighborhood heading towards Laughlin.

 

As I turned right onto Laughlin, something strange happened to me.  It wasn’t the first time it had happened either.  With my route in mind, and as I pushed towards Northfront, I heard something, inside my head, tell me and not for the first time to go straight on Northfront, forget about GreenBill and head up Northfront and ride the Altamont Pass.  Over the last two weeks, I can’t tell you how many times I have been on Northfront and hard the call from road ahead of me.  Telling me to come on and ride it.  I even drove it last Saturday, scouting the way.  It wasn’t the first time I had scouted that area either.  Last Saturday’s scouting ride was the third time I had gone up that way to have a look.  As, I turned onto Northfront I realized I wasn’t going to go right on GreenBill and I was going to give into the Siren’s call and head up the Altamont Pass.  I wouldn’t go up Carroll Road, no not yet, we weren’t ready for Carroll, but we knew, soon, soon we would be. 

 

All, I could think about as I passed by the Motor Cross dirt track was how and why did I give into the Siren’s call?  Was I ready to go out this way?  Did I need too?  It really didn’t matter; I was out there, and I was doing it.  I knew that I was going to ride Northfront to Dyer.  After that I really didn’t know what would happen next.  However, the further I pushed out Northfront the stronger the Siren Call came to me trying to get me to go up Carroll to Flynn.  Going up Northfront wasn’t bad either.  There were a few places I was in mountain climbing gear and granny but for the most part, I think I was in middle ring upfront.  It was a long slow climb.  It was more like Collier Canyon than what I expected.  However, the entire time I was out there Carroll and Flynn called me.  Even as I road to no wear on Dyer Road, I kept telling myself I could at least try Carroll. 

 

I told myself no, I had answered one Siren’s call today, and I wouldn’t answer another.  I headed down Northfront.  It is amazing when you get used to going down hill at 25+ MPH, that when you are going down hill at 18 MPH, it feels like you are standing still.  LOL!!!  The entire time I was coming back down Northfront I felt like I was standing still because I wasn’t going as fast as I thought I should be. 

 

The pull to Carroll Road became strong as I approached it.  Again, I told myself, perhaps we could give it a try.  I reminded myself that I wasn’t out there to blow my legs out.  That, big hills weren’t necessarily needed prior to my event.  The Sirens called hard to me.  For a moment, I thought about giving in, but then I just reminded myself we had business out on Patterson Pass, Cross, and GreenBill.  So, I road past.  I went out today and drove Carroll to Flynn and all the twist and turns of Flynn.  Part of me thinks, I could have taken it.  Part of me thinks, I was right to pass on that Siren’s Call.  I do know that the Siren is still out there, and even now it calls to me.  Telling me to come up and over.  I am thinking about how I can sneak it into my Friday ride the last moderate ride I do before Tour de Fuzz.  Trying to justify it to myself.  Like some junkie who is trying to tell themself just one more time won’t hurt anything.  How many times did I say that about McDonald’s before I changed my life.  I am still just curious what it is about hills that draw me to them.  What is it about challenging myself?  Maybe it is my way of making up for 8 years on the couch where I could barely move?

 

I turned left on GreenBill and road to Patterson.  No matter what I ride the push between Flynn (Yes, the same Flynn, it takes you to Patterson Pass) and Cross never seems to get any easier.  It isn’t particularly steep, but it is always hot, and it is always a pain in the ass for me.  I stopped as I was riding out and asked an older couple who were changing a bike tire on the other side if they needed help or if they needed anything.  They assured me they were ok, so I kept going to Cross.  I wondered as I started Cross if it would be harder since I had 13 miles on the ride already.  Normally, I hit Cross at mile four or five.  It wasn’t any easier, but I am not sure if it was harder or not.  I know that I love going down Cross.  It is awesome. I know that the MADNESS took over soon as I started going down and I knew that I was turning around and coming right back up.  So, when I got to Tesla, that is what I did. I turned around and rode right back up Cross to Patterson.  Coming down Patterson I noticed I had an ache in my left side.  I wasn’t sure if it was just back pain, if I had to go to the bathroom or what, but the further I came down the Pass, the more it went away.  So, I knew that I wasn’t turning for home when I got back to GreenBill. 

 

I went left on GreenBill and for the first-time 20+ miles into a ride I was going to take on GreenBill #1.   I was nervous as I approached it.  Normally, like Patterson I hit GreenBill #1 early in a ride.  Would the miles I put on my legs and the climbing I had already done hurt me?  Would I have to stop going up?  The answer was no, the miles didn’t hurt me, but they made the climb a bit more of a challenge because I just wasn’t as fresh as I went up and over.  The pain came back to my left side as I went up GreenBill.  So, I knew it was just a sore muscle or something.  Which meant I didn’t have to worry about going to the bathroom and I was going to push myself to the end of GreenBill and then head home, which is what I did.  At the dead end on GreenBill, I talked to winery employee as I enjoyed some of nature’s candy, the raisin.  I told her I would be doing just fine once I got up and over GreenBill #3.  She said just take it easy and go and I would be fine.  I swear to god, that riding up GreenBill #3 was the only one of the GreenBill hills that really felt different that far into a ride.  It was like I was riding up mud or something.  I did it.  I did it with a smile even, but it was not easy.  GreenBill #4 now that wasn’t too shabby.  I rode up and over GreenBill #4 in middle ring the entire time.

 

One more time the Siren’s called me, and I answered as I approached Lupin or what I like to refer to as Bee Sting Alley, because that is where I got stung by a bee or a wasp, or whatever, some sort of flying bug that stung me.  There are a couple of rollers on Lupin.  I knew if I went down Lupin I would get to 35 miles for the ride, I wanted to get 35 or 40 and the heat was climbing so I figured I was best to just go up and over Lupin and back.  So, down Bee Sting Alley I went.  I kept and eye out for the flying enemy and luckily, I didn’t have an incident.  It was time to turn and head home.  The heat was 91 and I was feeling good about my ride.  For a moment when I got back to Northfront, I head the Sirens calling from the east, but I turned west and head back to my place.  Coospo put me at 35.4 miles, and 1700+ feet climbed.  Apple of course screwed me out of about a mile and 200 feet of climbing, but that just how Apple is.  In less than two weeks we will be at the Tour de Fuzz.  I am excited about it.