Slipping back16:55 Aug 23 2008
Times Read: 581
Thunderstorms are predicted for this afternoon but their stirrings are already in the air, long before the onset of clouds. Unsettled, little, indecisive winds shifting, turning, reversing and forever whittling away at the efforts condensed in each drop of sweat.
Today marks the first back-to-back ride in... I don't know how long. Six months, perhaps. More likely a year. Yesterday's ride is still a taunt ache in my legs but I'm up at 4:30 to give myself the best possible start once the sun makes its entrance on the day. Almost 90-minutes dedicated to the pre-ride rituals. That's more time than will be spent on the bike, with any luck.
From the first stroke of the pedals today promised to be very different than yesterday and far less forgiving. Where I'd started across the flats at 22 mph the day before, I was now holding just 19.7. Speeds will be the focus of the day. I was intensely locked in on the digital display in the hope of not losing any inch that didn't have to be forfeited to the wind, the hills and pure exhaustion.
Three minutes in and I'm on a slight descent, just passing the fire station that marks the first mile; 24.3 mph and losing momentum. By 5-minutes my legs are feeling drained, my heart rate forced without the advantage of a gradual lead-in which often marks a better ride. I was already in the 150s, focusing on each breath and trying to ignore the burn through my quads.
Another minute and it's time to turn East onto the highway that will rotate North and lead into the upper hills. At three miles I'm crossing the bridge and noting my time; 8:11 -- down to the second, the same as yesterday. But there is no denying that today will be very different; worse. I'm on the first climb at 18 mph, and feeling my rhythm turn sluggish as the wind picks up, blowing from the North... my left side. I should explain that from the saddle of a light-weight racing bike, the word "wind" shouldn't conjure up images of tattered flags rattled by the passing air. In reality, it's but a light summer-morning breeze. But against the free-wheeling nature of a bike, even the light kiss of a breeze can be devastating.
Seven miles in and I'm looking ahead to a point seven-tenths of a mile in the distance -- the point at which I should be now. Cycling is mostly a contest against the drag of the wind. At 20 mph, 90-95% of my efforts will be absorbed by the air. By 25 mph, that number rises to nearly 100%. Needless to say, another 3 to 4 mph added to the velocity of the wind against a rider has a very marked effect. I'm looking at a very dismal outcome and the climb still lies in the distance. How the climb resolves will have a major effect on the overall outcome of the ride.
The ascent starts gently. It wanders across the bottom of a small valley, then slowly lifts to a concrete bridge. The leading edge of that bridge is where I trip the stopwatch. But even before reaching the bridge, the wind has turned. It's now coming straight down the canyon I'll be climbing. It's directly in my face and my usual 18 - 19 mph lead-in has been reduced to a mere 15 mph. I'm worried that my mid-point time will be more than 90-seconds slower than the day before; roasting any chance of staying in the 19s.
By the top of the climb the wind has sucked all of the fight from my legs. My heart rate is still below 180 but there is nothing left in my lungs and lactic acid has invaded even my arms and neck; I've cracked. My speed has dropped below double-digits. Across the top I note 38:53 on the timer. I have a difficult 2-miles left to push. It looks flat. It's anything but flat. I'll be working against a very slight but steady incline, the wind and my own fatigue. At 40-minutes the half-way point appears miles away. The last two-tenths involve a grim little rise which drains everything that might be left in the body.
The ride back starts with that same two-tenths, but now gravity is with me. I'll use that short time to recuperate and to ease my speed up to 26 mph. I won't be able to hold that across the next 2-miles, but my focus is on not letting it slip more than one or two miles per hour. At 27.7 mph I come to the first slight incline and crunch down in the saddle to focus on rhythm and aerodynamics. Kissing off my efforts, the digits begin to fall. I note a reading of 25.8 just as I've found a little more fight returning to my legs. Putting that energy to use, the speedometer falls again -- 25.6 and then jumps to 26.1.
Gradually, the speed climbs again to 27.2 and I'm facing the end of the long stretch that leads to an incline, then over the top of the rise and down the 1-3/4 mile section which constitutes the climb on the way up. There is a slight descent leading to the climb -- 27.7 mph and the resistance is starting to build in the pedals. My heart rate is sitting at 164 -- still comfortable. Pink is playing on the MP3 player... "If someone said three years from now...".
A third of the way from the top and my speed has fallen to 25.3 mph. It's time to click down to a smaller cog, stand and maintain everything I can to the top. At 22.6 mph, I'm cresting the hill and staring down the short descent that will lead me to the high-speed for this ride. In less than ¼-mile, I'll be putting my last efforts into pushing the numbers on the speedometer. Forty-point-eight mph across the flatter section at the bottom and then it's time to try to salvage thirty across the flat and into the base of the valley. The approach to the concrete bridge draws down at 48 feet per second and the air begins to rub away my speed.
Back across the bridge and on to a one-mile climb. I know the wind is working both for me, from the back, and against me from the side. All I can feel is the side-load cutting away at each half-turn of the pedals. The climb chews away at the speedometer's display; 25.1... 24.6... 22.1... 18.6.
Eighteen-point-six, turns to 17.7 and then to 16.4 as I stand for the final quarter of the climb. I'm still a valley and a hill from the start of the final decent on this highway -- the place where I ticked over one hour the day before. I'm already sitting at 59-minutes.
Across the top I'm 1-minute, 22-seconds behind and with no real hope of reclaiming any of that time. The next two miles pass below from 27.3 to 30.1 mph and then to a section of rough asphalt where I ride the white line. Paint is smoother than the bad patch job and allows me to maintain more speed.
Up ahead there is a large 4x4 pickup parked on the shoulder. I'll have to cross the rumble strip to go around it, then cross back to the shoulder. As I slip by, there is a twisted sense of satisfaction at holding 25.2 mph under my own power, while this behemoth of a transport mechanism sits stationary; puking the contents of it's radiator onto the asphalt beneath.
The light tagged me at the intersection, costing me several seconds. The next light let me through but the stretch of road between them seems to invite the worst of the winds. It's glassy smooth, aside from bits of gravel and broken glass which I affectionately refer to as "redneck residue". It seems driving up and down the highway tossing out beer bottles can provide some with an entire evening's entertainment. But despite rather favorable surface conditions, the wind is so focused that I'm held to just over 25 mph while carving little S-patterns through the bits of debris.
The final 2.5 miles is a slight but continual incline. The wind is still blowing across the road despite the 90-degree turn changing from the westbound highway to one headed South. My time is telling me that I won't be seeing another average in the 19s. The last four minutes are spent working against the inevitable as attested to by heart rates of 169, 177, 172 and 178.
The conclusion is a pathetic 18.79 but there is some satisfaction in remembering that the wind might have made it worse had I allowed it. Any small victory I stole despite the wind's efforts will be worth the pain in just minutes off the bike.
SETUP:
Bike: GT ZR-1.0
Departure: 06:10:31
HRM Duration: 1:21:52.3
THE DATA:
Distance: 25.55 miles
Average Speed: 18.79 mph
Duration: 01:21:34
Maximum Speed: 40.8 mph
Odometer: 18311.3 miles
Climb Timer: 08:50.6
Climb Distance: 1.79
Climb Avg Speed: 12.1
Climb Max Speed: 15.4
HEART RATES:
In Zone: 68:19, 166 avg
Above Zone: 07:32, 177 avg
Below Zone: 06:01, 142 avg
Heart Rate Recovery: 02:12
Low: 86
High: 179
Avg: 164
CHECKPOINTS:
Bridgeport Bridge: 08:11
Oak Creek Valley Road: 26:47
Page Springs Road: 33:51
Pass above PSR: 38:53
Turn above Dry Creek Bridge: 46:48
COMMENTS
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Beastt17
21:51 Aug 25 2008
Ack! I forgot that edits wipe out comments.
:-(