That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…..

Of course if it actually does kill you, it’s probably kind of a drag. I wonder how hot it has to be for your brain to actually boil inside your skull??? Why aren’t I at home drinking beer??? Who actually rides their bike on days like this??? How much does a helmet full of sweat actually weigh???

These are the thoughts that were going through my head yesterday as I did the Lake Chabot loop.

I had forgotten my lights so I told Lynn and Jim I was going to go early and do the loop by myself. This way I could avoid getting stuck in the dark and would be back early to get the bbq fired up and going. (the real reason was that I was really pretty cranky and just needed to blow off some steam – oh yeah, and I’m afraid of the dark)

So, with no-one but myself to set the pace and no bike computer, I started out at 5 minutes to 6 and I went as hard as I could without totally blowing up and having to suffer to the finish.

It’s interesting riding the loop by your self. There are none of the usual rest stops where you regroup, there’s no one you’re chasing or trying to stay in front of, and there’s no way to judge how you’re doing as compared to the group. All I knew was that I never stopped sweating and my heart rate only came down on the downhill portions.
On the climbs, I was just under redline the whole climb, and on the flats, I was going as hard as I could without spinning out (the Achilles heel of single speeds is the flat portions) The downhill sections were actually the only area I took it easy. I kept thinking how embarrassing it would be for the following group to find me wadded up around a tree...

The funny thing was, that throughout the entire loop, I felt like I was way off the normal pace. I felt slow and was convinced I was going to be passed any minute by the group starting a half hour behind me. This, of course motivated me to push harder, but still it didn’t seem like I had it. It seemed like one of those off-days where you go as hard as you can and your buddies still drop you like a fat guy on a huffy.

Well, it turns out, I was wrong….when I got back to the truck, I took off my helmet, pulled the phone out of the camelbak to check out my time and lo and behold I finished in 1:05...my best time EVER doing the loop. I guess that explains why my helmet was floating on my head and my shirt looked like I had just lost a water fight with my grandson...it also explains why the first beer seemed to just disappear down my throat.

Speaking of beer - you've got to check out this survey