Dec-18-2021: "Assault on Beaver Dam Rd"

[The following was drafted shortly after the ride in question, and the text has patiently been waiting to be published.  Finally catching up on publishing past ride stories and photos, it became the turn of this "story" to go public.] 

  

 

Participants:  LT, Ricochet, Byron-the-salty-one, Red Rocket, me. 

The route:  "The Dragon" - Lite.  

[Note:  I tried to embed the RWGPS map, but my computer and RWGPS are not getting along.]

 

The following from an email sent early on the morning of the next day:  

Legs still feeling the impact when I got up this morning. 

 

I purposefully put that "hurtin'" on myself riding up Beaver Dam / Rock Springs Ch Rd because two weeks ago, while riding on Moores Mill Rd headed toward Mt. Tirzah, I realized I had not been doing enough intense riding to stay in long ride with tough hills shape. 

Similar to what Big-Wave-Dave indicated circa 12 years ago:  "to ride fast you need to practice riding fast."  

I'm quite sure that the Beaver Dam "hurtin'" contributed to the climb on Mangum Dairy being difficult for the first time in the several times I've ridden up it in the last two years (prior to 2020, I hadn't ridden on Mangum Dairy for nearly a decade).  Hmmn -- climb might have been a bit easier if I had changed to the 30 chain ring before starting the climb -- but I stayed in the 39 and had to GRIND it up. 

Enjoyed the ride, except that before getting to Peed Rd, I needed a bowel movement so desparately that my entire mid-section was in PAIN -- a problem I solved by making an impromptu stop at LT's. 

...Martin

  

Including the commute ride to the start and the commute after the group ride was completed: 

67.5-miles, 4:48 time-in-motion, 14.0-mph avg in-motion.