alex chiang: web 6.0

Got in way over my head last night with a bike ride that was suggested in the local newspaper. I knew before starting that it was 45 miles long. That didn’t bother me (at first). What I didn’t know was how damn hilly it was. That did bother me.

At about 20 miles, I was ready to give up. I ate my one and only packet of Gu, thinking that it would give me the energy to get to the halfway point (27 miles), whereby I could call for a support vehicle to bring me home. The Gu helped, but at 27 miles, there was no cell phone service to be found. Not even analog roam.

So I had to gut it out. The last canyon was way too much for me. By this point, I had been out of water for about 1/2 an hour and had zero energy left. Embarassed, I had to swallow my pride and walk my bike up that damnable hill while getting eaten alive by mosquitos.

At the top, it turned from dusk to night, and I was faced with the prospect of bombing down a twisty canyon road in the dark. Luckily, I had a front and back light, so that cars see me and make at least a half-hearted attempt to avoid me. I flew down the switchbacks at around 35 miles an hour, praying I wouldn’t hit a pothole or patch of gravel, getting back at the bugs by eating them.

Four hours after I started, cramping and dehydrated, I managed to limp back to my house with an aching back and sore neck.

It was a valuable learning experience. I need to get stronger and bring more food and water. Also, I might as well save myself from having to carry the extra weight of a cellphone because it was fucking worthless out there in the boondocks. Knowing the route will help in the future, because I was totally demoralized by not knowing how much further I had to go.

When I can survive this ride, I’ll be able to attempt Estes Park (90 miles roundtrip).