160827 56 Mile Ride
I finally got a "major" (for me) ride in today, riding from Franklin to Emlenton on the Allegheny River trail.
The ride turned out to be just a bit more of an adventure than I had originally anticipated.
All was well until I got to the first tunnel. The tunnel is nearly a mile long and has a large curve in the middle, so you literally can't see "the light at the end of the tunnel."
I forgot my glasses have transition lenses, and when I hit the tunnel at 15 mph, I went from bright sunlight to total blackness faster than I could adjust. The result was that, for the first time in a long time, I went over the handlebars. Ouch. I also learned that I really, really need to "upgrade" my headlight.
The next adventure is a short stretch of this trail that requires looping up onto a poorly maintained dirt road to avoid a contested piece of real estate. The road was pretty washed out and provided a challenging ride. I was glad I had a mountain bike crossover - I passed some folks on street bikes and wondered how they would get around this dicey piece of the trail.
I stopped in Emlenton long enough to eat a quick lunch of cucumber slices, a protein bar, and two bottles of water, then headed back.
I was within six miles of Franklin when I started to "bonk" - and by the time I was within 2 miles of the parking lot, I didn't think I was going to make it. I literally willed myself to finish the last two miles, talking out loud (and a bit erratically) to keep myself going. By the time I reached the parking lot I was cramping so bad I could barely get off my bike.
Obviously, I'm not ready for a 150 mile, multi-day ride... Ugh.
Total Distance: 56.9 miles
Average Speed: 12.2 mph
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes.
The ride turned out to be just a bit more of an adventure than I had originally anticipated.
All was well until I got to the first tunnel. The tunnel is nearly a mile long and has a large curve in the middle, so you literally can't see "the light at the end of the tunnel."
I forgot my glasses have transition lenses, and when I hit the tunnel at 15 mph, I went from bright sunlight to total blackness faster than I could adjust. The result was that, for the first time in a long time, I went over the handlebars. Ouch. I also learned that I really, really need to "upgrade" my headlight.
The next adventure is a short stretch of this trail that requires looping up onto a poorly maintained dirt road to avoid a contested piece of real estate. The road was pretty washed out and provided a challenging ride. I was glad I had a mountain bike crossover - I passed some folks on street bikes and wondered how they would get around this dicey piece of the trail.
I stopped in Emlenton long enough to eat a quick lunch of cucumber slices, a protein bar, and two bottles of water, then headed back.
I was within six miles of Franklin when I started to "bonk" - and by the time I was within 2 miles of the parking lot, I didn't think I was going to make it. I literally willed myself to finish the last two miles, talking out loud (and a bit erratically) to keep myself going. By the time I reached the parking lot I was cramping so bad I could barely get off my bike.
Obviously, I'm not ready for a 150 mile, multi-day ride... Ugh.
Total Distance: 56.9 miles
Average Speed: 12.2 mph
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes.
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