50 Miler

Last Sunday I did a ride out Mines Rd. to the Junction Café. I felt hungover in the morning and assumed that I had drank too much wine the night before. It was highlighted by a slow ride out and in a dead wind, a flying ride back which contained about 20 miles of downhill or only slight climbs after the initial 5 miles of climbing on the return.

The group was going to do the same thing again today so I wanted to see what it was like in reasonable condition. I was faster on the way out this time riding long stretches at 14 mph rather then the previous week's 12. My clothing was too heavy so I was sweating on the continuous climbing for the first 20 miles. But the air was so cold that I couldn't open my jacket without a painful chill.

I made it to the Junction Café pretty beat for the combination of climbing and being far too hot. I had also made the mistake of only taking a single water bottle. That didn't help.

While I was there a groups came in from the Mt. Hamilton side, Two of them had rather heavy Norwegian or Swedish accents. I remember that their accents are markedly different but can't remember one from the other after my concussion.

I had a hot dog and a beer and left. And of course there was a 10 mph head wind. At 6'4" with 18 inch shoulders that is like dragging an anchor. So while last week it felt entirely downhill, this week it felt like 1/3rd of it was uphill. And I am now a very slow climber. I assumed it was because the medication I'm taking lowers my hematocrit but upon questioning the Neurologist last week, he looked up all of my values over the time that he has been treating me. Well, for the entire time I was a patient of his and before using the only medication that could effect it my Hematocrit has been slightly below lowest normal. Also my red and white blood cell count was below minimum normal. So that pretty much answers why I don't have any climbing or speed bursts anymore.

My total time was about the same as last week but I was a hell of a lot more tired from being overdressed and going into that head wind on the return trip.

I will have to consider the clothing issue. I have a large closet full of clothing but these conditions which will be here through next weekend are a bit peculiar. While it is hot in direct sunlight the air is rather cold. To the amount that you don't want the air to touch it at speed. Especially after you've been climbing and have a sweat to dry off. The weekday rides are either short enough or don't have hard enough climbing to put you in this sort of position.

In any case this is a case of technique that has to do with riding well into your 70's. Those Norwegians came by me on the way back (The two Norwegians and an Indian) - the group in front obviously at least semi-pros at 30+ mph, a fourth a little later, whom I was unable to keep up with and after I got back to my car another group of three that were riding a little faster than me followed by a woman that was with them about a minute later. At that point they had gone 70+ miles with about 6,000 feet of climbing, and had another 50 to go to get back to Fremont from where I assume they originated. The back four would have been well advised to take the rapid transit because I doubt they could make it back before dark.