It was the worst of rides. It was the best of rides...
Saturday was the Camano Climb. Horrible weather. Of course, I didn't bring my rain gear since the weatherman called for a nice day.
As I left Seattle I drove headlong into a squall. After arriving at the ride start I sat and waited for a break in the downpour...but it didn't come. So I ventured out and got thoroughly soaked.
I flatted in the first 20 mins. The only thing good about my ride on Saturday was the realization that a 16 gram CO2 cartridge is perfect for the high pressure tires I have on my Jamis Eclipse.
I hit the point on the road where I had to choose between completing the ride or taking the shortcut back to the parking lot. I chose the cut off so I only got 25 or 30 miles in.
The worst thing about Saturday wasn't the fact that I couldn't feel my toes and that my socks were sponges. No, the worst thing was that my bike rack didn't hold my beloved Eclipse securely...so I got some nice rub marks on my frame. What a crappy day...
Sunday was quite different. The weatherman's coin toss of a forecast was correct. It was a nice day--no rain--even though it was a bit chilly at the start.
This ride was the May Day Metric. Lot's of fun. The field was so much smaller than the Cascade Bicycle Club rides. That fact has pros and cons. The pros are the feeling of solitude and being able to really lock into your own groove. The con (for me) is that there's nobody to follow. That's a problem because I tend to get lost. Which I did.
So while Sunday's ride wasn't perfect it was a lot of fun. I got 60 miles in and some real good climbs. I was spent at the end of it and that's what I wanted.
One thing I noticed is that the climbs that come later in the day are easier than the early ones. My body takes a long time to warm up but when it does I can go and go. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to rely on this fact/fiction to help me on the RAMROD (since I already know I'll be under-trained for that event).
