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| A fierce sun glints off the frame. Taking a break halfway up South Road. |
So, first we were going to paddleboard at 7 a.m., but after a brutal tiring work week and too much staying up watching the Olympics, a 6:30 a.m. reveille was not happening.
There were no takers for the midday sun humidity and heat paddle either. I called Chuck but he was not biting. "Erm, erm I have a project ... to pack for vacation."
OK maybe windsurf. A pre-frontal thermal could be a possibility— but the wind did not start out promising, and had "bogus southeast schlogfest" written all over it. I wanted to cool off and get wet in the salt water, but this did not look like it would be worth the price of the gas — tomorrow might be better if the bad weather can hold off long enough.
Chuck and I tossed around the idea of golf; but lets say that one got scuttled in somebody-who-shall-not-be-mentioned's vacation packing, and cell-phone limbo.
THE BIKE SELL
Gordo, meanwhile, was selling the bike ride pitch hard. "We could be riding already!"
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| No more aspartame please. G-man (hill monster) grabs a G2, requests regular Gatorade next time. Today we both could have used the extra "juice." . |
Only it was about 90 degrees, ferocious sun, and as humid as all get up. I swear I lost a pint of water just changing clothes. It felt like 100f upstairs, so no surprise I was sweating like a warthog before even starting. Nice—sweatband is mandatory equipment today—either that or windscreen wipers on my eyeglasses.
I gathered the bikes, helmets, water, and checked the tyres. Mine were a bit soft, so I topped them up. These dang presta valves—it seems like the air is not getting in there sometimes. I re-pumped the rear a bit. The pump head was not coming off. be gentle and avoid over-tweaking the valve stem .... Popwhooooosssssh -- uh oh! That was not the sound of excess air in the pump-tube that was a blowout. The rear tyre dropped from 120 psi to 2 psi in a few seconds.
Oh well...glad that didn't happen on the road. That's all you can be—grateful you didn't blowout on the road. I'm guessing that tube had a few hundred miles on it—that's all—but at least a couple of years on it, time wise, and that's the tube killer.
No time to fix that — if we wanted to be back by dinner, that is. So I rolled the road bike against a patio table and grabbed an MTB bike instead. Topped up the tyres and off we rode.
That thing, I really felt the extra weight up the hill. Consider it good training. The road bike is a luxury up hill in comparison. 18 lbs vs 29 lbs. I felt every extra pound.
MTB HILL and TRAIL
It was a heart-rate pumper from the start. The bike was heavy up Jeaneatte and it felt like a log going up Longview.
Gordy on the other hand was making it look easy. He has more confidence on roads, now, so was uninhibited in cruising up the 3/4 mile Cat 5 out of the saddle.
Scored a nice green light at the mid-valley intersection. Thank you. and climbed back up to Ridge and onto the short but challenging little trail behind Schreiber H.S. It has a few features and a rain gully to keep you honest.
We attacked the first half of it, this way and that, and then the whole descentWe came down the hill behind the P.O. but had to walk up that — too steep for any tired riders. ,Gordo wanted to avoid some girls (who wants to be seen with dad?), so we had to go back up the hill. A partial ascent. Enough. Back on the road and a finishing urban hill ride in Ave A,B,C, and home.
No matter how hot it is, it's always time for a good cup of tea.
Gordy on the other hand was making it look easy. He has more confidence on roads, now, so was uninhibited in cruising up the 3/4 mile Cat 5 out of the saddle.
Scored a nice green light at the mid-valley intersection. Thank you. and climbed back up to Ridge and onto the short but challenging little trail behind Schreiber H.S. It has a few features and a rain gully to keep you honest.
We attacked the first half of it, this way and that, and then the whole descentWe came down the hill behind the P.O. but had to walk up that — too steep for any tired riders. ,Gordo wanted to avoid some girls (who wants to be seen with dad?), so we had to go back up the hill. A partial ascent. Enough. Back on the road and a finishing urban hill ride in Ave A,B,C, and home.
No matter how hot it is, it's always time for a good cup of tea.
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