Suffering, Suffering; Oh and Lot's Of Fun!
Some days I feel like riding a long way, and some days I don't. The most rewarding days are often the days where I dread getting on my bike and riding for hours. Apparently, today was one of those days that was more about the reward than about the suffering; and oh boy did I suffer! =)
Waking up before 4:30 is never fun, and today the reason for doing so was the 2007 Eastern Sierra Double Century. They tell us that the eastside is a road biker's paradise, and yet throw us at some of the worst roads I have ever been on. And yet people come back year after year to throw themselves at it.
I felt fine for the first 30 or so flat miles, and most of the way up Old Sherwin Grade Road (there are few finer climbs anywhere). But when I started feeling like I was hitting the wall at a mere 40 miles I knew there was going to be trouble ahead. I'm not sure whether the fact that I pulled through says more about my character or about my insanity (or maybe it IS both...).
Descending into Rock Creek Canyon from the top of the grade, I then had to climb back up along the creek to rejoin 395. After a very short stretch, we headed onto Crowley Lake Drive through some pretty fun descents and some short climbs. Going up through the town of Mammoth Lakes and up past it onto the scenic loop I was beginning to feel lousy again; but nothing cures that like a fast descent on crappy roads. I was hitting separations in the road at speeds in excess of 40 MPH, and loving it despite the numbing shock to my hands.
From there, off to the rest stop at the rest area along 395, where I resupplied. Then off to June Lakes after crossing Deadmans Summit (actually not a hard ascent, but the downhill is fun on the north side). Up and over Oh! Ridge (that must be short for 'Oh, That's It?', yeah it's pretty mellow). Then down along the nice June Lakes Loop. It's nice except for the last lake, where the shade disappears, and it begins to get hot.
Still feeling pretty bad, I kept on going and before long was cruising into the turnaround at Mono Lake State Park. After refueling with a Subway sandwich, I headed out and along windswept Highway 395 (yeah, it was a strong headwind today) at a measley 12 MPH. Making it down to the turnoff for 120 East, I was able to make up some of that lost time as the wind was at my back, and I was able to cruise along at 30+ MPH for quite a while. I even nearly hit 50 (49.9) on one of the downhills. Not bad! It must have been the sandwich that was helping me get me back into the proper groove for riding.
The road up to Sagehen Summit isn't all that steep; it just goes on for a bit longer than you'd like. But it is a beautiful place, and the descent off the backside makes it worthwhile. The road has the same sort of separations as Mammoth Scenic Loop, but this time they are worse. And to top it off, I was going a lot faster through there. I actually hit 52.4 MPH at one point! Through this whole section there was cloud cover which kept the temperatures reasonable. I remember suffering badly through there last year. Of course, the bad road stays with you until you get to the junction with Benton Crossing Road. From there, a short climb leads to the best descent I have ever done. It's not as fast as the top of Sagehen, but the road is in much better shape. Soon enough, I was down into Benton, and ready for the long slog back to Bishop.
I was still feeling fine, even keeping up a good speed right up until I got into the Chalcant Valley. There, the heat became oppresive, and I began to get cramps in both of my legs from time to time. I stopped and reloaded on Gatorade and water, but I guess my body wasn't able to absorb the fluids well enough to make a difference. I had to resort to limping along on my bike at around 12 MPH where I should have been at least up around 18. I don't think that I have ever been in that much pain while riding. But I finally did come around the corner in Highway 6 and see the Logas sign in the near distance. Oh what a feeling!
And then I headed back to my room and took a shower. Perhaps an even better feeling than finishing! My official time for the ride was 13:43 (probably more like 14:39, as it took me quite a while to get my shoes off so I could go inside to check in). Interstingly, even that ws only five minutes off my time from last year. My total distance for the day was 201, bringing my week total up to 312 miles.
**Note** I was thoroughly amazed that my rear tire held up for the ride, as I had been riding it since late February without a single flat. Somehow, it had lasted well over 2500 miles; by far the longest lasting tire I've ever used. On Monday morning, 1.3 miles into my ride to work I got that flat I had been waiting for. And I changed the tire; so R.I.P. to the best tire ever... =)
Yeah, I wholeheartedly recommend the Vredestein Fortezzas...**
Waking up before 4:30 is never fun, and today the reason for doing so was the 2007 Eastern Sierra Double Century. They tell us that the eastside is a road biker's paradise, and yet throw us at some of the worst roads I have ever been on. And yet people come back year after year to throw themselves at it.
I felt fine for the first 30 or so flat miles, and most of the way up Old Sherwin Grade Road (there are few finer climbs anywhere). But when I started feeling like I was hitting the wall at a mere 40 miles I knew there was going to be trouble ahead. I'm not sure whether the fact that I pulled through says more about my character or about my insanity (or maybe it IS both...).
Descending into Rock Creek Canyon from the top of the grade, I then had to climb back up along the creek to rejoin 395. After a very short stretch, we headed onto Crowley Lake Drive through some pretty fun descents and some short climbs. Going up through the town of Mammoth Lakes and up past it onto the scenic loop I was beginning to feel lousy again; but nothing cures that like a fast descent on crappy roads. I was hitting separations in the road at speeds in excess of 40 MPH, and loving it despite the numbing shock to my hands.
From there, off to the rest stop at the rest area along 395, where I resupplied. Then off to June Lakes after crossing Deadmans Summit (actually not a hard ascent, but the downhill is fun on the north side). Up and over Oh! Ridge (that must be short for 'Oh, That's It?', yeah it's pretty mellow). Then down along the nice June Lakes Loop. It's nice except for the last lake, where the shade disappears, and it begins to get hot.
Still feeling pretty bad, I kept on going and before long was cruising into the turnaround at Mono Lake State Park. After refueling with a Subway sandwich, I headed out and along windswept Highway 395 (yeah, it was a strong headwind today) at a measley 12 MPH. Making it down to the turnoff for 120 East, I was able to make up some of that lost time as the wind was at my back, and I was able to cruise along at 30+ MPH for quite a while. I even nearly hit 50 (49.9) on one of the downhills. Not bad! It must have been the sandwich that was helping me get me back into the proper groove for riding.
The road up to Sagehen Summit isn't all that steep; it just goes on for a bit longer than you'd like. But it is a beautiful place, and the descent off the backside makes it worthwhile. The road has the same sort of separations as Mammoth Scenic Loop, but this time they are worse. And to top it off, I was going a lot faster through there. I actually hit 52.4 MPH at one point! Through this whole section there was cloud cover which kept the temperatures reasonable. I remember suffering badly through there last year. Of course, the bad road stays with you until you get to the junction with Benton Crossing Road. From there, a short climb leads to the best descent I have ever done. It's not as fast as the top of Sagehen, but the road is in much better shape. Soon enough, I was down into Benton, and ready for the long slog back to Bishop.
I was still feeling fine, even keeping up a good speed right up until I got into the Chalcant Valley. There, the heat became oppresive, and I began to get cramps in both of my legs from time to time. I stopped and reloaded on Gatorade and water, but I guess my body wasn't able to absorb the fluids well enough to make a difference. I had to resort to limping along on my bike at around 12 MPH where I should have been at least up around 18. I don't think that I have ever been in that much pain while riding. But I finally did come around the corner in Highway 6 and see the Logas sign in the near distance. Oh what a feeling!
And then I headed back to my room and took a shower. Perhaps an even better feeling than finishing! My official time for the ride was 13:43 (probably more like 14:39, as it took me quite a while to get my shoes off so I could go inside to check in). Interstingly, even that ws only five minutes off my time from last year. My total distance for the day was 201, bringing my week total up to 312 miles.
**Note** I was thoroughly amazed that my rear tire held up for the ride, as I had been riding it since late February without a single flat. Somehow, it had lasted well over 2500 miles; by far the longest lasting tire I've ever used. On Monday morning, 1.3 miles into my ride to work I got that flat I had been waiting for. And I changed the tire; so R.I.P. to the best tire ever... =)
Yeah, I wholeheartedly recommend the Vredestein Fortezzas...**
;)
posted by Mike Deitchman at
8:05 AM
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