Grand Endeavors

This Saturday, after a cold morning, the sun finally came out and warmed the air just enough for me to stop everything that I was doing, get kitted up, and throw a leg over my bike for a little spin through the country. I was feeling spry and decided I would take advantage of the conditions with an out-and-back to Millheim. It was a little ambitious considering I haven’t ridden much this year but it’s a flat route so I wasn’t too worried.

Things started off great. I was feeling like a rock star and turning over the pedals like it was my job. The sun was on my face and I soaked in all the vitamin D I could. I assumed there was a bit of a tailwind helping me out (because there usually is) but I wasn’t going to discount my own abilities. That, I would later realize, may have been a bit presumptuous on my part.

Like all good cat 5 racers I ended up going out too hard with the wind aiding my escape. This allowed me to make good time on the way out but left me with a soul-crushing slumfest on the way back in. I felt like I was pedaling squares on the entire ride home. It wasn’t my best effort on the bike. At least the scenery was nice and the stop at Elk Creek to refill my bottles didn’t hurt either.