Rides

Yesterday I did 47 miles once the oppressive 36 hour rain finally took its leave. It was too chilly for June -- I wore arm warmers for all but the last ten miles, when the sun finally came out in force and warmed things up (in concert with the beastly mile-and-a-half long, brutally steep climb at that point). The north wind was a Saddam Hussein affair -- it was my ally for the front half of the ride, almost a direct tailwind as I headed to hills down south. But I knew even then that I might one day have to go head-to-head with its evil, and my Desert Storm came all too soon as I headed back north. My battle, however, was no cakewalk -- more of a Somme-style trench warfare quagmire.

Today I towed the chunky young spud for ten or twelve miles. He makes the smaller hills a real workout too. I'm counting on the strength training from hauling his princely (m)ass up the nearby climbs to make my ride up Hogpen Gap a breeze this fall.