Suffer, Shower, Eat, Sleep, Repeat

Waking early Sunday morning the forecast called for temperatures between 3 and 7 degrees Celsius, a bit of wind and just 1mm of rain. Stepping outside, I found it very damp but not raining and yes, about 3degrees. Dressed accordingly, I rode to Neworld for the 9am rendezvous, realising as I rode that it would likely be a bit of wet day. No matter, I thought, a high of 7degrees and very little rain expected; I should be fine. By 9:02, myself, Jeff and Chris were on our way.

About 30mins into what was to be a three hour ride, the hail began pelting our faces from the west, pushed by the strong winds that had crept upon us. As the hail subsided, the rain began to drive, cold and hard and unrelenting. For the next 90mins it rained, and rained and rained. Sometimes hard, some times less-so, but always very cold. By the time we descended the last hill back into Burlington, my hands and feet felt like solid blocks of frozen meat. The only sensations I had from either was a deep numb pain. Riding past the store with Jeff and Chris, I continued on home, willing myself to complete those last 5kms.

When I did finally arrive home, after just 2.25hrs of riding, I was soaking wet, freezing cold and utterly miserable. Slowly pealing off the layers of drenched lycra, all I could think about was warmth. In the shower for 20mins, it took about 15mins before my feet regained any colour. Finally out of the shower, I threw on lots of warm dry clothes, ate a big meal and a took a two hour nap.

Though it was a tough ride, it was just what I needed; self-inflicted suffering. With the Paris-to-Ancaster race just two short weeks away, this was exactly the right kind of training. It was wonderful!

The day after Sunday’s adventure in the rain, Jeff and I went out to do the same loop, though this time rain was not in the forecast. As we climbed Snake Road, another customer joined us. With just 30mins to ride, however, he flatted. Though he did not have a flat-pack with him, Jeff did. Five minutes later, we were back on the bike. But, within five minutes, Mike had lost all the air in that same tire. With no other spare–The Dr. runs a different tire size and different valve type than their bikes–we attempted to patch the tube. That held for another ten minutes, but we had to stop again, and again, to pump it up some more.

Eventually, with the tire not holding any air, Jeff and I bid Mike farewell; he was on the phone to his wife to be collected. Though the ride was one of fits-and-starts, it was good to get out, even if we finished in the dark. Once home, I showered, ate and went to bed.

Today, my day off, I had a To Do List that included several items. One of those items was to go for a ride. Since I had a number of other things to take care of, I figured I’d be better off doing some hill repeats rather than a longer ride.

So, around 11am, The Dr. and I made our way to Snake Road for a few lashings. The first five repeats were in the same gear I’d been climbing that hill on every other ride. The following fiveI put it into the next harder gear. With ten repeats done, it was time for the next harder gear; the second hardest on the bike. Hoping for two laps up and down that hill, I actually managed to get four done, with the last one causing me to stand and grunt the whole way up. It was painful, tortuous, fun and glorious. And again, once home I showered, ate some food and took a nap. Though it may sound like a bit of a painful existence, it is rides like these that make us stronger and more appreciative of showers, calories and sleep.