Tis the time of year when I like up the intensity/length of my rides. After putting in a goot 3.5 hours of mountain biking on Saturday I figured a good road century would be in order. I couldn't convince any one to go with me so there would be no hiding from the wind, I had to earn every mile. Maybe I should stop referring to them as death marches.
I started off from my house and took backroads through the foothills to get to Rte 33 for the big climb up to Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National park. Luck was on my side today as at the base of the climb there was a roach coach selling hotdogs. After 25 miles of rolling hills it was the best hot dog I ever had. I would have bought more if I didn't think I puke it up on the 2000+ ft climb. The climb went well, I was hitting speeds that I normally struggle with but felt very comfortable doing it. Once on Skyline I rode south for 40 miles and popped off the mountain to head home in the valley.
I was taking it easy as I wasn't sure how well I could handle such a long ride solo. At the 85 mile mark I was still feeling fresh so I put the hammer down till the end. This has never happened to me before but it seems I took it a little too easy as when I got home I still felt good. Usually I want to die an hour or so before I make it back. All in all did 110 miles, 6.5 hours of riding, 11,000 ft of climbing. Ate 3 bananas, 4 oatmeal bars, 2 flasks of Hammer gel, 1 Hersheys chocolate bar. 2 bags of Combos, a hot dog, small peperoni stick, 1 cheese stick and about 130 oz of fluids. Some pictures from along the way. Used my old camera and it was full of condensed sweat so they suck.
Hillbilly mansion. I love this place, it has all the nice touches: Laundry, applianes on the front porch, sattelite dish and generally crappy. A nice bit of reality amid all the McMansions.
Looking back down at the valley I rode up.
AT trailhead
Met this lady who was riding 300+ miles down to North Carolina.
Looking down at Sugar Hollow Resevoir
The long winding road ahead
Just a few miles from home, looking back up at the mountains.
The damages.
I started off from my house and took backroads through the foothills to get to Rte 33 for the big climb up to Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National park. Luck was on my side today as at the base of the climb there was a roach coach selling hotdogs. After 25 miles of rolling hills it was the best hot dog I ever had. I would have bought more if I didn't think I puke it up on the 2000+ ft climb. The climb went well, I was hitting speeds that I normally struggle with but felt very comfortable doing it. Once on Skyline I rode south for 40 miles and popped off the mountain to head home in the valley.
I was taking it easy as I wasn't sure how well I could handle such a long ride solo. At the 85 mile mark I was still feeling fresh so I put the hammer down till the end. This has never happened to me before but it seems I took it a little too easy as when I got home I still felt good. Usually I want to die an hour or so before I make it back. All in all did 110 miles, 6.5 hours of riding, 11,000 ft of climbing. Ate 3 bananas, 4 oatmeal bars, 2 flasks of Hammer gel, 1 Hersheys chocolate bar. 2 bags of Combos, a hot dog, small peperoni stick, 1 cheese stick and about 130 oz of fluids. Some pictures from along the way. Used my old camera and it was full of condensed sweat so they suck.
Hillbilly mansion. I love this place, it has all the nice touches: Laundry, applianes on the front porch, sattelite dish and generally crappy. A nice bit of reality amid all the McMansions.
Looking back down at the valley I rode up.
AT trailhead
Met this lady who was riding 300+ miles down to North Carolina.
Looking down at Sugar Hollow Resevoir
The long winding road ahead
Just a few miles from home, looking back up at the mountains.
The damages.
