At least that’s the way Sir Pratt put it.
Yesterday was a tough day for me. I thought I would challenge myself. I’ve been slowly trying out different road routes on the Tricross single speed just to see if I can pull them off. I’d ridden Snow Canyon both directions and my next effort had been nagging in the back of my skull for a few weeks, Gunlock Loop. This is a 40+ mile ride that includes a few really steep climbs, most notably the Veyo Wall. This is a relatively short effort that sits almost perfectly in the middle of the ride.
KB and I headed out at 8 a.m. a little late for this ride and the heat that we had but… I took it easy for the first bit, not being sure as how the Wall and the hill coming up out of Gunluck would pan out. We averaged around 14 mph. I did everything I could to ensure the legs didn’t feel any burn unless absolutely necessary. After about 12 miles I finally felt warmed up and things just started to kind of coast. I could feel the hill coming out of the reservoir and the one out of Gunlock village was the worst. It’s short but steep and the 43 X 17 I run made it a bit of a grunt or a bitch, which ever you prefer.
Then we got to the wall. For the most part the Wall is just a climb. It’s not horribly steep and isn’t really that long. I felt descent until the last, oh, 100 yards. Then the incline increases and things do get steep. If I wasn’t already so close to the end of the climb my sorry ass would have been walking, but I couldn’t let the last 100 yards of a climb get the best of me. I mean, I started out with a goal here.
After the Wall, I enjoyed the short jaunt into Veyo where we stopped at the mercantile for some soda and Funyuns (I needed electrolyes). Then we headed down the hill back into SG and around to Ivins. The old speedometer read 42 point something miles. By the time we got home it was hotter than hell, but I did it.
Then to top off this epic little personal challenge, I rode the Zen trail with Newby. Riding the Zen trail is, in and of itself, a good challenge. It’s short but has plenty of steep sections and tons of technical obstacles. But riding with Newby is like chasing your tail, cuz you’re never going to catch him. And we did it at night. I sware that there were rocks were there never were before, but we did it.
That was my day.
Ride more.