Three days in, and I am feeling the pain.
Day One (May 26) was a good start. Rode from Fountain Hills to Payson. Heather Fowler rode with me for the first 24 miles or so. Was a beautiful day and the ride was very enjoyable. It was quite appropriate that Heather was there for the start of this trip as she is the person who taught me the joys of riding. Back in the spring of 2000, Heather was the assistant coach of the Team in Training group in Tucson. As a result of the riding during the TNT training, we became good friends.
The road took a definate "up-turn" after Heather put her bike on her van and returned to New River. Three serious climbs were waiting for me. My guess is that there was approximately 5,000 to 6,000 feet of climbing ... of course there were a few spectacular downhills as well.
Day Two also presented some serious climbs and some "Woo-Hoo" downhills (as Heather calls them). The route of the second day was Payson-to-Cornville. Beautiful country up in the Pine/Strawberry areas. The road from SR 87 to Camp Verde, which is 35 miles long, provided some great downhill runs ... 6 and 9 mile runs. Unfortunately, the weather turned very wet ... rain and hail. The 9 mile run started dry, but then it started raining again. When you are doing 35 mph, the rain drops are quite painful on your face (I speak from experience). Long day ... 79 miles, 7 hours of riding.
Day Three (today) was just miserable. The Cornville-to-McGuireville run was okay, but McGuireville-to-Flagstaff was simply not a lot of fun. Cornville-to-Flagstaff is only 56 miles, but there are two serious climbs on I-17 ... the first is a 6 mile climb, then shortly thereafter, there is a 5 mile climb. Grind it out. I was planning on stopping at Munds Park (mile 38 of today's ride) to have lunch. At mile 36.5 it started pouring ... at mile 36.6 the back tire went flat. Changing a tire in the rain is not a lot of fun, particularly if you create a pinch-flat in the spare tube while putting the tire back on the rim. The rain fell two more times getting into Flagstaff. I had planned on camping, but I decided to hotel-it instead. Oh, the comfort of a dry and warm hotel room.
I am planning to stop at a bike shop tomorrow and buy some heavyweight tubes ... flats are not good.
But all-in-all, life is good.
Day One (May 26) was a good start. Rode from Fountain Hills to Payson. Heather Fowler rode with me for the first 24 miles or so. Was a beautiful day and the ride was very enjoyable. It was quite appropriate that Heather was there for the start of this trip as she is the person who taught me the joys of riding. Back in the spring of 2000, Heather was the assistant coach of the Team in Training group in Tucson. As a result of the riding during the TNT training, we became good friends.
The road took a definate "up-turn" after Heather put her bike on her van and returned to New River. Three serious climbs were waiting for me. My guess is that there was approximately 5,000 to 6,000 feet of climbing ... of course there were a few spectacular downhills as well.
Day Two also presented some serious climbs and some "Woo-Hoo" downhills (as Heather calls them). The route of the second day was Payson-to-Cornville. Beautiful country up in the Pine/Strawberry areas. The road from SR 87 to Camp Verde, which is 35 miles long, provided some great downhill runs ... 6 and 9 mile runs. Unfortunately, the weather turned very wet ... rain and hail. The 9 mile run started dry, but then it started raining again. When you are doing 35 mph, the rain drops are quite painful on your face (I speak from experience). Long day ... 79 miles, 7 hours of riding.
Day Three (today) was just miserable. The Cornville-to-McGuireville run was okay, but McGuireville-to-Flagstaff was simply not a lot of fun. Cornville-to-Flagstaff is only 56 miles, but there are two serious climbs on I-17 ... the first is a 6 mile climb, then shortly thereafter, there is a 5 mile climb. Grind it out. I was planning on stopping at Munds Park (mile 38 of today's ride) to have lunch. At mile 36.5 it started pouring ... at mile 36.6 the back tire went flat. Changing a tire in the rain is not a lot of fun, particularly if you create a pinch-flat in the spare tube while putting the tire back on the rim. The rain fell two more times getting into Flagstaff. I had planned on camping, but I decided to hotel-it instead. Oh, the comfort of a dry and warm hotel room.
I am planning to stop at a bike shop tomorrow and buy some heavyweight tubes ... flats are not good.
But all-in-all, life is good.
sounds like a few early snags and preparation reminders to start you off on your journey. Those down hill portions make up for the climbs I'm sure...good to hear you're getting after it out there! good work padre...
ReplyDeleteWay to go brother. It was great to see you at the beginning of your trip. Keep the faith and I know you will have some fun. Keep us updated with your blog.
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for your trip and glad we caught up on the phone tonight. The wind is your friend! The hills make you stronger! I'm sure other TNT road wisdom is spinning along with your wheels. Ride strong, be safe and keep in touch!
ReplyDeleteSounds like an amazing journy! I am jealous, my invite must have got lost in the mail... Definitly keep the posts coming, and get some photos up if possible, would love to see the sites! I am going to help Chris see if we can figure out how to add a map that tracks your progress. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDelete-Andy J
I'm jealous, too. It seems like a great way to see the country. That's just doing it up right. Thanks for sharing the adventure. Very cool stuff. I'm looking forward to hearing what happens next. Have fun out there.
ReplyDeleteLoved your accolading blog about your stay at the "Old Lady's Home" in Bountiful, Ut.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I'll be 72 in September.
Must fix some misconceptions. 16 pregnanciess, but only 12 children and 4 of them left on doorstep in middle of the night when they were little. 5 step children I didn't raise. Loads of grandchildren, stepgrandchildren, & 20 greatgrandchildren. Is that enough honesty? If your head is spinning, lie down and take an aspirin ! I won't think less of you !!!