As predicted, I pigged out at the office BBQ with two large burgers that were mostly bread, so I hit the road by going back the down way. In other words, the 2.2 miles up the hill on Fifth Street.
A digression: it's been a normal, hot August in Cartoon City, so when I stepped out of the office at 1700ish to head home, the temperature...was perfect. Absolutely perfect. The crap of the workday flew off like chains and I felt clean. Immediately going back inside would be a crime.
So I took the hill with my usual smoothness (panting and wheezing the whole way, naturally). Instead of turning east off Richmond, I turned west and headed up Kind's Canyon, a long slow incline which I've never done before. The bike gears were ratcheted as low as they possibly could go and I still had spagetti for legs. I focused on the road directly in front of the bike and just concentrated on making the next landmark. Someone calls that point-to-point traveling: get to the next tree, the next fire hydrant, the next fence post on the side of the road. Build up enough of those landmarks and you've made some real progress.
How did I do the first time? Judge for yourself. Just past Longview is a Nevada state road marker. I turned back there.
And the trip down the hill! Wow! I've never gone so fast on a bike, and I was quickly reminded that survival is tied to keeping the handlebars and front wheel as straight as possible. It was a rush and would have been a magnificent wipeout.
Most important lesson: don't stop. I took a break just before Longview to get my wind and realized I couldn't get my legs back in the rhythm. Next time, I'll just go slower, if that's possible.
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