once again i was running quite a bit late, and so i ended up hammering from loveland to longmont. i knew it was going to happen since i was over 20 minutes late, and i severely underestimated the distance. i really wanted to just rest as soon as i got there, but since my friend was patiently waiting for so long, i didn't want to ask to chill for a bit and have some lunch talk about work or something before we took off. instead, we just jetted off to the hill as soon as i arrived [no rest]. we chatted most of the climb at least the first 90% or so until i just couldn't breath and talk at the same time. my friend just kept motoring up the hill while i just dropped back and climbed at a leisurely 20-30 rpms. i was hurting pretty good for the last part of the climb, and it was so freaking cold my arms were starting to go numb. there was a little bit of snow on the road, but most of it was on the trees. when i got to the store, my friend's bike was parked outside and i couldn't wait to go inside and join him. i was going to borrow some money from him because if you've ever been to ward, you know that they are lucky to have electricity...let alone credit card readers. unfortunately my friend didn't have anything either. i sat around the store digging through my camel bak looking for that elusive ... perhaps non-existent $5 bill. the guy at the store finally felt sorry me and let me buy something as long as i promised to send him the money... "two hot chocolates please" :)
the ride down was no picnic. i had this wind breaker that had been through the wash a few times and seemed to have lost its ability to "break" the wind. it was an endless decent that was just unbearable. i kept slowing down because i kept thinking that i was going to get frost bite on my nose. funny, last week i was worried about heat exhaustion... this week it's frost bite :)
when we got to the bottom of the hill, my friend parted his direction and me mine. when i left him i had already bonked... actually i couldn't tell if i bonked or i was just depleted of all my energy reserves and on the edge of consciousness.... in any case i was still about 20 miles from home and about 1 mile from death. i decided to call my ace-in-the-hole, my rock, my till-death-do-we-part, unfortunately she was too busy getting ready for work and didn't have time to go get me. :( i even thought about having my 15 and a half year old drive out buy himself and get me... i'd better not. i finally accepted the fact that i am going to have to tough this out by myself, and so i stopped at the seven eleven for some food.
after a relaxing meal that seemed to make me even more tired, i started my journey home. the skies were getting dark and the wind was picking up. and just like a poorly scripted sitcom where predictability and canned laughs are the essence of its being.... so to was the direct head winds that beat upon my body as i forged ahead into the sapping wind. if you think this paragraph is overly dramatic, you are correct....however, you should have seen my face, and heard my cursing under my breath as i struggled to forward.
i finally made it but it was so horrible. the wind kept getting stronger and stronger as i got closer to home.... serious!
i miss the days where i kept everything in my panniers and rode as fast or as slowly as i felt. there is something a little different when i get on my road bike.... i don't know why ....it's just different.
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