Road Ride to Recovery

After an eighteen week break, I finally dusted off the road bike, and went out for a road ride. Thinking back now, I’m not exactly sure how this all came to be. Although I am a mountain biker, a good portion of my riding time is usually spent on a road bike, and for some reason, I felt a tad of road burn-out in late spring, and took a break. Once spring had arrived in the woods, I became totally immersed in mountain biking. Then a new 5 inch Moto-lite arrived. Needless to say, mountain biking felt great and I had no interest in the road. I had my sights set on Nationals, and was excited to try Super-D and hoped to hang onto enough residual fitness for a XC victory. Once the goals had been accomplished, I lost my drive, or that is what I thought. I did make an effort to get out on the road once, but I had no energy. Later I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. So here I am, two weeks of doxycycline and 18 weeks later, once again swinging my leg over the Pinarello. It took a bit of arm twisting on the part of Art, Willy, and Marianne to whom I am indebted for these efforts to get me on a road bike once again.

Spinning down Long Meadow Rd towards Harriman, my plan was to do an out and back to my scale and not have the group wait. As it turned out, my humble plan was not needed as the group started out easy and I hung all the way up into the park for the 35 mile loop. I felt almost normal again on the bike and I enjoyed being back up in the park once again. The season is certainly changing, with cool breezes and bits of reds highlighting the forest. Climbing up 106, I watched acorns roll down the road. The black water of the lakes contrasted the pond plants, now turning gold. While the changes are exciting, they also bring sadness, as they remind me that summer is coming to an end. Pedaling through the hero stretch on the way home, we hit the usual 29 mph with the wind against our faces. It's good to feel better this day.