Today was an interesting day as it was 77 miles the first 16
was a long grind up to the summit of Stevens Pass. Over the 16 miles there is a 3100 foot
climb. Given my serious lack of training
and my telling of how Jerry rode Crossroads at 85 by taking a little bump to him
over the hills, I decided to do what I preach and jumped in the van. Sixteen miles later I was at the summit. It was so easy no four hours of grinding away
at 4 miles an hour.
At the Summit Ken and I jumped out and pedalled off. From the summit at 4100 feet we rode almost
all downhill to Wenatchee at 730 feet. The
first 30 miles was at 20-30 mph with out pedalling and by then we were at
picnic. Picnic was great! Shuli had made
split pea soup with bacon. I could have
stayed there all day eating her soup. However we still had a long way to go and
it was getting hot.
The route followed Hwy 2 most of the way and it was
tremendously busy. At the 50 mile mark
we turned off hwy 2 and rode along through a series of orchards. It was a very pretty road however it was
filled with really steep pitches and as it was now well over 90 F so the hills
were very draining. I think I would have
preferred to just follow the highway cars notwithstanding. The school we are at is at the far end of
town so we had about 5 miles of winding through town. A bunch of the route was up three blocks turn,
left then ride a block, and turn left again down the same hill. Ok that is
three sides of a square. I don’t care
how busy the streets are riding three sides of square up and down the same hill
when the temperature is 90 F is not fun.
Ken and I got in before the van so we headed off and found
some cold cokes in a Safeway.
A quick up date on the new cot. It is working out just great. I am finding it very easy to assemble and it
is very comfortable.
Tomorrow is a big day at 107 miles. I am really hoping that the temperatures
moderate a little. I am feeling much stronger after only a couple of days so maybe I will be able to ride myself into shape.
Terry
8 comments:
Hey, way to go. You are finding a rhythm and a routine that works. Gotta get through the first week without injury. The cot working out is huge. Can’t beat a good nights sleep. Good luck with the century.
Good decision. A little less strain in the beginning and you will be good to go for the rest of the trip. As cold as it was in 2014, the heat would have been a huge factor trying to climb the pass. Could have taken you out for a couple of days. Keep riding smart. Glad the cot is working out, age related modifications are a good thing.
Later,
Earnie
Hi Terry,
Thanks for keeping me informed on each day’s ride.
I’m sending a link to your blog to several family members so they can follow along with you and Ken.
Take care, enjoy the ride
Judy
Pacing yourself right from the beginning is smart. Leave the ego behind and enjoy the day even if it means a few rides in the van. Good news on the cot.
Staying in the game is obviously the right choice.. get yourself in shape a little first before you hit those crazy big climbs.
Terry,
You are now my favorite crazy person.
May the wind be at your back.
Mike Beck
That is BEAUTIFUL country! Go get 'em my friend. You're a savage!
Terry, just catching up on your blog after getting back to Calgary yesterday. Three days in and looking good!! Lots of memories from our 2014 CTC. Thanks for the pics and the blog. Keep up the good work.
Canada Ken C.
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