Hours of sleep prior to ride: 9
Liters (or litres if you prefer) of liquid consumed during ride: 10
Snotpacks consumed: 4
Miles pedaled: 40ish?
Miles enjoyed: 40ish? (Unbelievable right?)
It is hard to say what the definitive difference maker was yesterday, but it was my “Stage 17” day for certain. The bonk never came. I didn’t yell at anyone. I enjoyed it all, even the heat.
Of course I didn’t enjoy the heat, but…
I’m in such a positive mood about the ride in general that it would be a shame to take anything away from it. I have said before that it takes me a couple hours to build up a proper head of steam and start turning the cranks for real, and most of our rides end at about 2 hours so, you know, that theory works out well for me most of the time. Yesterday it was actually true. 3.5 hours into it, blinded by sweat, numbed from the sun, I found my wings.
Delirious in my misery, I babbled about the big naked Judge in Blood Meridian and eating baby birds as protein supplements. Despite the heat, I began to feel really good. I bent to the task of winching up the dry, broiling grasslands of the Miccosukee Greenway and by the time I looked up I had ridden the thing behind me. It was a five hour saddle time day and those are my favorite. S’quatch, H’tops, and Mystery the Untameable Stallion, acquitted themselves in fine form as well.
Swimming in S’quatch’s pool afterward (in a thunderstorm- don’t tell my mom) the relief was so complete that I got all excited to ride some more. Reapplying my soggy, nasty clothes, I pedaled home in the rain, bunny hopping every curb along the way.
# of Edy’s lemon popsicles consumed before bedtime: 4
When you add it all up I think it equals a pretty damn good life.
-Juancho