To Get To The Other Side
Focus, focus, focus. Full concentration on form, pulling back across the bottom of the pedal stroke, keep the cadence in the set range, stay aero, keep outside thoughts away. That's how we ride those long rides. No room for anything else if we want to get faster. How else can we brag about being so focused on our goal and during training?
That's not exactly how my last long ride went. For the most part I would have to say I was thinking about anything that was not related to cycling. In fact, it was almost a surreal experience. I wasn't even one hour in when I realised I was singing Cold Chisel's "Bow River" out load. On the return home I noticed the prompt was that I had passed a property titled "Bow River".
Rolling over the country roads, well out the suburbs. So far out of the 'burbs, that there were plenty of paddocks with cows, sheep or crops. So why were there so many items of clothing along the edge of the road. An inventory taken over about 30km included 4 pairs of pants, 1 pair of boxers, 2 singlets, 1 bra, 2 briefs, a single high heel shoe and one gumboot. How the clothes got there I'm not sure.
Who on earth has a Wobbies' World Helicoptor in there front yard?
While contemplating that thought I headed down a steady descent. Half way down I was forced to hit the brakes reasonably hard to give way to the chicken crossing the road. Why?
Then I got to thinking about the cycling. How many kilometres I had covered? How many I had left to go? How were my legs feeling? That was easy to answer, my legs were sick of spinning those cranks round and round. Don't even get into how my backside feels about still being forced to sit a small saddle. Luckily I became distracted by a falling rock. A small rock bounced down the embankment and rolled across the road, right in the area with signs warning of falling rocks. Who would have thought?
After 123km over some descent hilly terrain I pulled into my driveway. A quick scan through my monitor showed I had stayed within my training zone, the speed was slow, but that was to be expected. In the end an enjoyable ride, even if the cycling took second place to my warped mind.
That's not exactly how my last long ride went. For the most part I would have to say I was thinking about anything that was not related to cycling. In fact, it was almost a surreal experience. I wasn't even one hour in when I realised I was singing Cold Chisel's "Bow River" out load. On the return home I noticed the prompt was that I had passed a property titled "Bow River".
Rolling over the country roads, well out the suburbs. So far out of the 'burbs, that there were plenty of paddocks with cows, sheep or crops. So why were there so many items of clothing along the edge of the road. An inventory taken over about 30km included 4 pairs of pants, 1 pair of boxers, 2 singlets, 1 bra, 2 briefs, a single high heel shoe and one gumboot. How the clothes got there I'm not sure.
Who on earth has a Wobbies' World Helicoptor in there front yard?
While contemplating that thought I headed down a steady descent. Half way down I was forced to hit the brakes reasonably hard to give way to the chicken crossing the road. Why?
Then I got to thinking about the cycling. How many kilometres I had covered? How many I had left to go? How were my legs feeling? That was easy to answer, my legs were sick of spinning those cranks round and round. Don't even get into how my backside feels about still being forced to sit a small saddle. Luckily I became distracted by a falling rock. A small rock bounced down the embankment and rolled across the road, right in the area with signs warning of falling rocks. Who would have thought?
After 123km over some descent hilly terrain I pulled into my driveway. A quick scan through my monitor showed I had stayed within my training zone, the speed was slow, but that was to be expected. In the end an enjoyable ride, even if the cycling took second place to my warped mind.
It never fails to amaze me what debris you can see on the side of the road! Although you ride seems to have followed one hell of a road trip!
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