Finally got a road report that said the roads were ride-able with a mix of sand and snow with some minimal ice. Jay B., Mark K. and I decided it was time to get outdoors and ride this damn course. We had decent weather too, it was mid 20's and cloudy. We met at the Long Lake Outdoor Center and we headed out.
I decided to ride my Defy with the CX tires on it. Probably not the best decision because of the conditions...but I want to try to ride this during the race so I needed to see if it was even possible. About 1/4 mile in I started to have my doubts. The first turn we made...I ended up in a pile because of some icy ruts. Uh-oh went through my mind...because we hit our first gravel road I hit the ground shortly thereafter. Thankfully, that was the only time I hit the dirt.
We plodded onward. I was surprised that I was able to make the climbs on the road bike. Last year I had trouble climbing then even with the granny gears on my Epic.....and having the Defy I was forced to just spin what I had...and I took advice from a teammate (Dave W.) and I just put my nose on the bar and spun as hard as I could. The hills are always tough. This year, I look at them differently. I wasn't seeing the hills as long and nasty, but as tolerable. I guess not suffering as much is helpful.
We rode a modified loop. Taking the normal course to M-43 and then just staying on M-43 until we picked the course back up. About 26 miles of hills, ice, dirt, and snow. And friends. Always fun to ride and be NOT LAZY with friends. We just plugged away for a few hours and got back to the car. For once, I wasn't the last person back to the parking lot. I won't call out who it was....just felt good that it wasn't me for a change!
Got the bike cleaned up and rode the trainer last night. Unfortunately my ride got cut short by a flat tire....yes...on the trainer....it happens. HA. I must have pinched the tube when I put my trainer tire back on last night. I was at nearly an hour and I noticed my pedaling was way easier. Then the tire started to slip. Very odd feeling. What sucks...is that I was feeling really good and wanted to keep going. Still, a solid hour of recovery after a Barry Roubaix ride was probably for the best.
Barry Roubaix in less than 3 weeks. Lowell 50 in less than 5 weeks. Just glad I might be able to ride the Defy as long as conditions are suitable. I don't have the mud clearance that a cross bike would offer. I have just enough clearance for the CX tires. HA!
So, just going to keep plugging away. Feeling good. Staying positive. Enjoying life.
No comments:
Post a Comment