It all started out so innocently. Mild temperatures, lots of smiles and a fun pace out Halsey. Wet roads, but only little sprinkles of rain, and a quick clip up the scenic highway with a rotating paceline of 4 (Alex, Justin, Steve & Randy). With the quick pace up the long climb the miles flew bye and before we knew it we were already at the Women's Forum. Then the high speed descent as we smoothly flew through the corners with perfect lines and complete control in the wet conditions, spinning the big ring over the rollers near the bottom of the hill as we approached the Falls, only an hour and twenty minutes had passed (23 miles).
After a short break to fill water bottles and answer questions from a bystander admiring Alex's bike, we headed back West. That's when the weather turned...into a furious beast. The rain quickly flooded the grooves in the pavement and standing water was generously flowing off our tires and directly onto our legs & feet. The wind made sure to blow steadily into our faces and force water into every opening in our raincoats and thoroughly soak every square inch. The cold temperatures, the rain soaked clothes, and the wind chill made the ride back feel, oh...about the same as standing naked under Multnomah Falls in December (not that I would know what that feels like). Riding up the hill to Crown Point we rode a varied pace and practiced brutally ferocious (but short) attacks followed by a slower pace and a quick regrouping of the forces. Only a couple of cars passed us on the way up - one rolled it's window down and said "Good Job", while another didn't dare brave the weather and just gave us a thumbs up from behind the window with the heater running full blast. The rest of the ride in was cold, and then colder, and then a whole lot colder, but we left the regular course and sought out a couple more hills to keep us warm...wouldn'
Through it all we stuck together because we know that misery loves company, but we figured it was good preparation for a our team training camp with the Navy SEALS. So there you have it, just another average training day in Oregon for the Fast & Furious of Cyclisme. :-)
Here's the stats:
Distance: 74.75 kilometers (46.45 miles)
Time: 2hrs 49min (In Europe that would be 2hrs 49min no matter if you rode kilometers or miles ;-))
Max Speed: 66.4 kph (41.3 mph) hmmm...it felt faster then that in the rain but I guess the computer doesn't lie
Avg. Speed: 26.4 kph (16.4 mph) more impressive then it sounds considering the conditions & terrain
Power Output: Off the chart, probably in the billions of watts. They just don't make a power meter that can handle the power of Cyclisme
Heart Rate: Somewhere between barely alive and almost dead (we're into exact numbers here)
Fuel: Can't speak for the others, but here's my grocery list - Half a banana, half a Powerbar, half a Clif Bar (finished the other halves after the ride), two bottles of water, and one bottle of Gatorade.
Flat Tires: Zero :-)
Crashes: Zero :-)
Smiles: Many :-)
Frowns: A few of those too, on the way back!
Dry Clothes: Zero
Fun: Yes
Sincerely,
Randy Word
WORD Sports
E-mail: randy@wordsports.
Web Site: www.wordsports.
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