Every Gear Fighting

I began the day at 530 a.m. Saturday. I had fallen asleep on the couch in our media room, laptop precariously leaning away from me. It was still dark-ish, the hazy muted blue slowly illuminating the outside thru my windows chasing the dark away when clumped my way to the kitchen. Yesterdays coffee would be faster in the microwave than a new batch.
I started the day organizing our DVD collection, well over 300 titles. We stopped renting DVDs' rather 'tapes' over a decade ago. We were just plain: BAD with returning them. The impetus for this shift from renter to buyer had started just after the birth of my oldest daughter. She was 2&half months old at this point when my wife and I discovered the VHS copy of Jurassic copy safely nestled between the driver's seat and the door of the Volvo. "Oh my god." holding the movie between us, "why didn't you return this?" , "I had a baby? Why didn't you return it?" , "Ahh you had a baby."

The fee was over $75.oo but my wife had managed to talk clerk down to $25. Still, it was steep. That was the last time we rented as full members to any video club. Since that time we have acquired well over 300 titles that's not including the kids' titles and Disney. My god, Disney. Jasmine, Belle and fricken-Mulan owe me a few lap dances for the amount of Disney products we've purchased over the years.
As I said my day begins with organizing our DVD collection: A-Z and documentaries separate, It was largely successful. They, the grown-up DVD's are ordered. The kids' DVDs' on the other hand, need a little more work.
I had lost several hours helping my mother with errands and I watched as the sun hung high in the noon time sky while I waited in a car, Waited in car to be washed . Waited for the lunch to be finished Then finally a return drive home and the mad scramble to gear-up and ride before the sun sinks low.

Gear, gear where's my gear? Ok part of kit is there...where's the knee warmers...I got the arm warmers...here's one of the knee warmers...where's the other..."F-word"...screw-it I'll toss on a Prl-Iz set: besides black is nice color contrast. Now where's my HRM? Here's the strap...it was right here (on the table next to the bad and dangerously close to the German Shepherd's bed)...I hope the dog didn't eat it...Damn it was good deal too from Caster's...well I didn't see pieces anywhere and the dog has been ok: no barf, no signs of foreign object in the g.i. tract. No HRM on this ride..again.

Finally. Out the door and underway. The day's agenda: Mini-Hammer: Rout3 N/JCT 165 South on to Arcadia Road-one 3-mile climb up Route 3 and an easy breezy ride home. I had hit the gym on Thursday night, unusual for me as I typically spend that time in Big River with Bat Patrol a.k.a. Gengler's Gang, but it was the pre-season and the trail conditions are terrible for any meaningful training or riding. I believe the group was doing a Big River Stroll...walking. It's a nice idea...you know taking your bike for a walk similar to walking your dog but not my thing. I'd call it hiking myself and leave the bikes behind but hey whatever. (Just kidding-they didn't take bikes for a walk but from what I hear they did walk through some riding trails).

At the gym, I had broken up my long lasting-supersets to individual sets. I had started supersets as time saver cutting my work out from an hour and a half to just under an hour. Very hard but effective. But that night I had a little time. Concentration is always on legs: Go heavy and often. But when it came time for upper body that was harder than planned. You see the jack-assess at the gym (The YMCA) doesn't know enough to maintain their equipment so what ends up happening the dumbbells have lost their weight labels. In their defense all the equipment works, but I think more of luck than actual diligence.

Anyway I planned on doing an lite set of 50's, a simple 3 set 12 reps for chest. I grab the dumb bells and sit on the bench a few inches behind me. Sit down. Hoist the weights on to my lap. Lean back,flat on the bench and then pull the dumbbells to my chest. "Oh fuck. I'm weaker than I thought...this is gonna suck" I thought to my self as brought the dumbbells parallel to my chest, readying them for the set. One set. Rest. Two set. Rest, feeling a little light headed. Third and final set....eight...nh-iiiine...TEN: Fuck it! DONE!!! Eleven and twelve were not meant to be. Sucked.

I look back at the rack to return the weights. Wait a minute, 45, 50's are in place? What? 55's... 60's. I look up ahead. Oh no wonder why...I was pushing 75's. JFC. 75 pound dumbells were not really all that hard when I was just going to the gym and not focusing on cycling. 75's where my median dumbell set when I wasn't going big. I haven't tried to push 75's in over 4 years, purposely staying away from bigger weights, which is surprisingly hard to do. Mentally I always want to push heavy weights. Pushing big weights in the gym is contradictory to most cycling training programs.

While I was on the bike, I started thinking...its warm outside, I got 2 full water bottles, lets do Mid Hammer Loop: Route 3N to Route 165S left onto Woodyhill Road and back onto Skunkhill Road, ball park-18 miles / 3 'major' climbs / 1 'tough' minor hill (tough only because of its placement-near the end of the ride for all Hammer Loops). Why not? I'll do a TT on Mini Hammer on Sunday to see if there's been any change from last week. That's it. Mid-Hammer is a go.

I wasn't going do a TT-effort on Mid, I was going to do a JRA and the climbs would take care of any 'effort.' Pride would also help too. Mid Hammer and Hammer contains a climb I call "Ventoux" named after one the mountains in the Tour de France. The real Ventoux in France is a monstrous climb for the average cyclist, average gradient 7.43 % and the last 16Km 8.9% grade.
My Ventoux is no where nearly as tough BUT it's 'my' Ventoux. I think the thing that gets me about this climb is, deep down no matter level of fitness you are in, this climb always makes you feel like you can ride it better, faster. And on this day, I was reminded. I'm sure there are steeper climbs out in RI, maybe longer but those deceivingly easy. Easy in the sense: Its a steep climb/Its a hard climb. You know its going to be hard. You just know it. But Ventoux, Ventoux looks like a cake walk...climb up and reach the top, all done. While you ride it however it teases you--"You can go faster. I'm not that steep. Faster. I'm not that long. You'd be embarrassed if you stopped here, wouldn't you?"

As a fit rider, I was pushing 12.5 miles per hour. Today I crawled it, about 7 mph, if that. I never thought of stopping but, really, I'm no where near where I was. I started the climb in a harder gear than usual, finding easier to shift to an easier gear and finding it rather than trying to shift into an easier gear and not having an easier gear to shift to.

I turned over the cranks, slowly methodically, pulling all my mental games to get me through, standing at the base, turning over the cranks until I could stand no more. Sitting, looking down at the road, knowing the grimace of pain is all over my face. I look down so the cars passing me can not see it. Click. "I'll use every gear if I have to even the small ring and the freaking 23" , Click, "every gear fighting" ,"I'm climbing this bitch." My arms were getting sore, forearms taught, straining. Legs grinding up and pushing down, thigh muscles flexing from the effort. I can feel my face heating up, like a drunk from 3 shots of Jack Daniels.
I look up. I'm not even have way up. Fuck. Batten down the hatches. Climb bitch climb. And I did. I climbed until I reached the symbol of the summit. Some resident's mail box. Too spent for a pix and disrespectful if I snapped a shot of their mailbox with their number on it. Besides the downhill was fast approaching. I wonder what their house looks like. Tally-ho! Down 165 we go.

Ventoux was Climb 2 on Mid Hammer. Climb 3/Woodyhill and Heartbreak Hill remained. Climb 3 is a short steepish climb, quarter to half a mile climb with the barking dog at the top. It was tough for me but expected. At least if I stopped (which I wouldn't) no one would see it as its a country back road only the locals use.

Heartbreak hill remained. I don't know what's its real name is but its the last climb on the Loop, shorter than Woodyhill and just as steep, but it comes at the end of the Loop and it can hurt. I've done Double Hammer Loops and this hill fills me with dread: "Do I have the leg to make it home?"

Heartbreak was kind today. Still hard but tolerable, especially since my road bike a little unreliable right now, skipping gears under torque. Not a pleasant thought when oxygen deprived and felling like you're gonna slam your face onto your bars. I'll try swapping out cassette for tomorrow's TT effort on Mini Hammer.

What surprised me about ride was how 'spent' I felt in the 2 hours post ride. I napped out for about 30-45 minutes. Just total body shut down. I showered. Ate. Sat down on the sofa and promptly blacked out. Weird. It's happened before. I know other cyclist experience the same thing. Post ride an over whelming need to sleep, like your eyes are being forced shut and your body is seizing into rigour mortise, facial cheeks feel tight, eyes sinking into your skull. I wonder what causes it or what's happening to your body. I'll have to look it up.