le Lunch Ride
Yesterday I went on my first lunch ride with a couple of co-workers. In my crew of three, two are both experienced cyclists. One is a tiny gentleman who seems like he eats Cat 1 climbs for breakfast. The other, a Clydesdale built for those crits and sprint finishes. Both had 11 Speed transmissions courtesy of Campagnolo on a Colnago and a BMC, respectively. Myself? A novice rookie in every sense of the word.
Being unfamiliar with the area, I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. When one of them told me the basic route by naming some of the streets, I just nodded and said, "uh huh". I've done climbs in the past so I thought I was somewhat ready for whatever comes my way. Typically, I would Google map my intended route ahead of time to find out the elevation change. But not this time, I was just anxious and excited to finally ride with the guys!
The very first part of the ride was mellow. Still, I had to put a little extra effort to keep up with their pace, and this was on the flats! When it came time for the first climb, my leg started to cramp up real early. The thought of quitting definitely came across my mind a few times, but my pride kept me going. I really didn't want to be THAT guy, you know what I mean?
If you look at the chart below the first, second, and third climbs are basically a single 2 mile climb with a couple of breaks in between. It was a climb that looked endless to me, I was on the lowest gear, a 26 with a compact, spinning my lungs off. Every time I look up, I see them 50 yards ahead of me having a comfortable conversation with each other like it was nothing! After I peaked what I thought was the only climb of the day, one guy matter-of-factly says, "Only a couple more to go."
My reaction? I thought about calling a cab. But I can't THAT guy. So I kept going. As I was struggling up the hills, I recalled an article I read just a few days ago with climbing tips, so I tried to follow those instructions as best as I could and it helped a little. I also remembered Lance once said, "Pain is temporary...quitting is forever." That really didn't make sense but whatever, at that point any motivation to help me pedal through the pain was welcomed.
The wind was blowing hard that day, so even the descents weren't all that fun.
At the bottom I realized there were one last climb. Now, I drive up this hill every morning on my way to work and have always wondered if I can do it on the bike. I finally got my chance. I was completely exhausted, on the verge of bonking, with a 10 MPH headwind blowing, howling, urging me to just walk the rest of the way. Under the circumstances, this was the toughest climb of them all. But I was only hundreds of yards away from work and I didn't want my coworkers to see and know me as THAT guy, so I finished it.
When I got back to the office, my legs were done (still painful to walk today) and my face was flushed. Was that ride painful? Yes. Would I do it again? Absolutely!
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Oakley-Lunch-Ride
