The Test

Tomorrow will be the big test prior to Cherohala. And I'm a little bit nervous. The Beast is in town for a friend's event and we'll be riding in the morning. We haven't decided yet whether we'll ride out to West Blocton, or east, out to Camp Winnetaska. Either way, there's loads of climbing in the 80 miles we'll cover. But surprisingly, it isn't the climbing that has me worried. It's the distance and the heat. A few weeks ago, I was complaining about how cold it was. Well, the climate is taking its revenge, and the temps are in the 90's now. Toss in the fact that my longest ride of the year thus far was 65 miles, and that was a month ago, and I'm afraid I'm going to be dying tomorrow.

On the other hand, I've got to get a long ride under my belt. Cherohala is 115 miles and 9-10K feet of climbing. I've been putting in large miles over the course of the weeks, but not very many long rides. Time just doesn't permit me to spend 5-6 hours every Saturday on my bicycle, as much as I'd love to.

Some of my friends in the club have trouble understanding how you can justify not riding a century every weekend, and 50 mile rides a couple times during the week. Of course, they don't have kids, or church responsibilities, or (in the case of a couple) jobs.

So, one way or the other, I'll be back tomorrow night (after I paint the living room, after my ride) and let y'all know how it went.