Training Ride: There and Back Again – Patterson to Cross and Cross to Patterson


Cross Meets Tesla and this man is just crazy enough to turn around and go back UP!

 

Training Ride: There and Back Again – Patterson to Cross and Cross to Patterson

 

I am not sure when the madness set in.  It was either when I went to bed on Tuesday night or when I woke up on Wednesday morning.  The idea formed very quickly.  It was hill day.  So, it was time to ride hills.  So, I knew that on Hill Day I start out going out to Patterson and ride to Cross and go over the top of the steep deep climb at the start of Cross.  Then after that I go up the slow little roller by the cows to the top of Cross, then it is time to go down, down, down a long and fast hill from Patterson to Tesla.  It is freaking amazing.  It is awesome going down, but it sucks to get there.  I don’t care how many times I ride up Patterson it is a fucking monster which we hate.  We do it, we are doing it twice on Saturday (Thanks Beaver!).  I am not sure why heading east on Patterson, but it is always long, hard, and hot, and yes that is what she said.

 

 The madness I speak about that set in was the idea that I would go up to Cross to Tesla and then when I got to Tesla I would turn the ship around and ride back up.  As much as I hate going up Patterson to Cross, going Tesla to Patterson is every bit of a monster.  It is a long slow climb.  It is always hot and anything that is super fun coming down can’t be fun going up. 

 

I dreaded the idea to going down and then back up.  I am not sure why I thought of it.  However, the idea consumed me and all morning long that is all I could think about doing was going up and down Cross. I wanted it.  Why?  Why, was I falling into this madness.  Why did I want to go there and back again. It was an idea that consumed me.  That I couldn’t shake.  I wanted, no I needed to go back up that hill.  It was hill day after all, and what do we don on hill day?  We ride hills.

 

So, that is what I did.  I turned around and I pushed off.  I told myself I was going to ride within in myself and take it nice and steady.  I kept a consistent crank on the pedals and I started my assent.  I would have never guested that I would enjoy going up Cross back to Patterson Pass, and to some extent, I didn’t enjoy it, but I also sort of did.  It was not as bad as it had been in the past.  It was a nice consistent climb.  I stayed mostly in middle ring up front and mountain climbing gear in back and I climbed.  It was hot.  I had sweat pouring off me, and I loved it.  Sure, I went to Granny Gear when I needed to but for the most part, I just cranked up at a nice, relaxed pace and I did it.  I sort of like it.  When I got back to Patterson and started my fast assent down to Greenville, I could not have been more pleased with myself.  I couldn’t believe I did the dreaded Cross road down and back.  If I could have done a back flip I would have.  I have come so far since getting back on the bike in May.    

I decided before I left for the ride that a man thinking of going up and down cross would need to have his skull socks on to do it!  Plus riding back roads I feel like I need to wear bright yellow!

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