This evening was my last road ride before the 207 miles of the Seattle to Portland (STP) ride.
I did 25 miles up South Fork of Provo Canyon and back home. I took it mellow up the paved parkway trail - pretty crowded tonight. But once I hit the gentle climbing up South Fork I just couldn't roll easy - I didn't hammer, but I pushed harder on a few pitches than I should have. I'm supposed to be tapering down. Oh, well, I gotta have fun on the bike.
I saw a moose 20 yards or so off the road. After climbing to the girl's camp, I flipped around and flew down - such a fun descent. I took the highway back (couldn't bear the thought of poking down the parkway dodging people). I got home just after 9 pm.
About STP. I'm pretty sure I can finish, and pretty sure I'll enjoy it. But 200 miles just seems kinda nutty. I am curious to see if I can do it, but beyond that I have no reasons for doing it. It'll be good to see Jason and the Linux Networx folks again. One reason I'm feeling ho-hum about STP is I just don't see myself ever doing a double century again. Just grinding out miles doesn't sound interesting or enjoyable to me, but I'll reserve judgment until after STP.
What does capture my interest is multi-day road tours. A guy told me about an annual 3-day ride he does in southern Utah - the route sounds fantastic. Each evening they hit a town and check into a hotel for the night - credit card touring. At less than 100 miles per day they have time to stop and take in the sights. I really want to try a multi-day tour this year.
The End
2 years ago
2 comments:
I don't think double centuries on the road are any tougher than MTB centuries, such as RAWROD. There are times when you really feel good and enjoy the ride, and times when you feel like crap but keep pushing because you just want to finish. When it's all done, though, it's rewarding to look back at what you've accomplished.
Thanks for sharing your opinion / experience.
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