More Bridge Training

Our core riding group has decided we like the 211 loop. It's not even a loop, as we've been making it an out and back because of road construction. I think we all have our different reasons for liking the route. There are no trees, so you're out in the sun the entire time. It's two highways, so cars are flying by. Yet, we all seem to enjoy the ride every time. Personally, I like climbing the first hill on 211. I know it's as close to the Harbor Bridge as we can come and I beam every time I make it to the top. It just shows me that I'll be able to ride the bridge in Corpus Christi.

My first seven miles was slow going. It's all uphill, but I kept myself plugging along and I made it to the top of the seven mile climb in 43 minutes without stopping. Not too shabby, for me. I grab a Gu and prepare Erica for the downhill that's coming. I take off and fly down the hill. There are no cars, so I take my time using the left lane and the turn lane to make my wide left turn with as much speed as possible to get me up "the bridge". Erica passes me on the climb and we chat briefly about this being "the bridge". As I catch Erica at the top, I prepare her for the downhill and promise her that she'll catch me on the next uphill.

I fly down the long downhill and holler "good morning!" to a police officer who has someone pulled over on the shoulder for speeding. There was a second officer in the car and I swung wide into the lane in case the cop moved, or a car door flew open as I was flying by. The cop smiled and said "morning" as I went by. I made it up the next two hills and at the top of the third decided I should stop and wait for Erica. I'm surprised she hadn't caught me by now and most of the hills are out of sight now too. She comes rolling up and tells me she found someone's wallet on the side of the road.

I'm now farther down this highway than I've been before. Erica says she thinks we have another downhill that takes us across a bridge before we get to the intersection and the store for fresh water at the end. I take off down the hill and point out a rock to Erica. Just as my hand gets back on the handlebar, I see a hole in front of me and there's nothing to do but hold tight now. I bump through the hole and just as I finish thinking "oh, that could be bad" I hear "sssss..." The true sign of a flat tire. Oops! So, I slowly pull myself to a safe stop and confirm the flat tire is losing air and going flat. As I take off my helmet and my Camelbak, I send Erica ahead. I know I have the gear, and I know I can do it. I promise to wait for her return and we'll head back in together.

Just as I get the quick release undone, Phil rolls up and insists on helping me. I wouldn't let Vicki and Christina help, but I'll let Phil change the tire. He admits to being a sucker for anyone in need, especially a woman. I admit to accepting help from men, so we're going well. He gets to use my speed lever and sees what an amazing tool it is for a mere $8. We check the tire and change the flat in no time. I actually had to wait about three minutes for Erica to return.

We slowly start climbing the hills back and take breaks as we need them. Pete passes us on his way back out for a second climb of 211. He catches back up to us on the last long climb of 211. I'm ready for the downhill, but dreading "the wall" that we turn to climb as we get back to 16. I struggled today to get up it and was just out of breath and had to stop in the middle. I leaned over my handlebars and caught my breath. Once I could breathe again, I jumped back on the pedals and completed the climb.

One of my other favorite parts of this ride is the rate at which Pete and I complete the ride. I enjoy riding on his wheel and flying down the highway at 20+ mph on our bikes. At that speed and that distance we're moving pretty much in unison. I trust him to not hit anything or I'll roll over the same thing. One of the times we've done this, his bike has actually kicked up a rock that pinged me in the shin. It burned momentarily, but was nothing more than that. Erica tried to keep up with us today, but she doesn't like downhills, so she struggled to keep up, but I kept her in sight of my mirror today.

As we're flying back to the truck, we see a pair of cyclists stopped ahead. The guy has his bike upside down and perpendicular to the road, so for us to go by, we have to be in the lane of traffic. Of course, we stop to see if they need help. Come to find out, he hit something in the shoulder and has two flat tires. Between the two of them, they only carry two tubes, and she had already had a flat earlier in the ride. Pete pitches in and helps change one of the tires as we give them a tube. Within minutes, he is fixed and we're all on our way again.

By now, we've taken a long time to finish the ride, so Vicki calls to check on us. I'm flying, so I answer the phone on the bike. A safety no-no. Pete slows the pace a little and I tell Vicki we'll be rolling in shortly. I managed to answer the phone, chat, and get the phone put away without missing a beat. We kick it back up and try to finish the last two miles strong. Just as we reach the Mexican restaurant, I feel a hint of a cramp behind my right knee. I scream "Ow!" and Pete knows I'm cramping. I throw out my leg to stretch as he points out it's all down hill and I can just roll to the truck. After a kick out stretch, or two, I feel better. I downshift and bit and pedal it out. I roll past the truck and pedal some more so I know I won't cramp when I get off the bike.

We changed three flat today, only one was mine. Still it was a great ride!

Goals
Today's Miles: 27.59
Total Miles Achieved: 927.84
Financial Investment: $2216.13
Total Weight Loss: 0