Five of us start out from the Appleton parking lot. I'm the only one
who tortured themselves on an SS today. We were doing really well,
hitting all the favorites including Crackhead Bob which was nice and
treacherous today. A slimy coating of peanut butter mud, wet roots, and
the dreaded Monkey Balls (which seem much bigger this year) were causing
many a slide. Add that to the geared riders who don't understand what
momentum means, and I was in pain. I try to stay on the bike even if it
means grunting and groaning from a near standstill on a hill. I did it
a lot this time. Then my friggin cleats kept coming out of the pedals.
That's the third set in six months! Good-bye CB candies and hello
Time ATAC, which I picked up on my way home (no sales tax in Delaware).
Somehow after Crackhead Bob, I ended up in front with Jeff. We thought
it was the right way until we reached the top of the climb and look
back. We were all alone. I had an idea of where the parking lot was,
but not where the trail was. Jeff takes out his map and then we have
the problem of determining where we are on it and which way is north.
Today I decided to retry the whole GPS thing I gave up on a year ago.
It hadn't worked up to this point. It kept freezing up on one screen
probably because it was so cold this morning. I pulled the battery and
put it back in. 1, 2, 7 satellites chime in and pinpoint us on the
detail map that I loaded last night. We are only five or so miles from
the car. We find the trail and head back. The others had already left.
It was a lot of climbing today and my legs feel it. Even the short
climbs we have here are tough when you start from a stand still. Here's
an idea of what I have to put up with around here. Yes, it's not much
footage on a climb but there are a lot of these short steep things.
This was only five miles of a 22 mile ride today.
http://www.schnauzers.ws/fhprofile.jpg
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o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
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