72 Miles

This is why I left Facebook. Thank you Angela Kalo for this link!!!

Yesterday's ride was a monster. 72 miles of hills and wind. My plan was to try and simulate a Triple Hump-like ride in the triangle and I pretty much succeeded. I conquered Lystra, Pea Ridge and the Superman Hill all in one - long ass - ride. Lystra was as easy as it's ever been (half a mile at an average of 14 per cent) but once I came down Jack Bennett and hung a right on Big Woods, the wind really tried to keep me from reaching US64E. I used the inherent slower pace to eat a meal I had stuffed into my back pocket, but after the joy of the meal had passed I still had 5 rolly miles of Big Woods with the wind right in my face to get past. After I topped off my drinks in Wilsonville I headed down to Pea Ridge on my way to old US1. Then it was up US1N and then a right to go past Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant. Finally I enjoyed a tailwind up the Superman Hill, but was so tired from having fought just to get there I was relatively slow. Slow or not it's what I needed and I'm proud of the effort. I'll do some 100k's and a century or two in prep for Mount Mitchell as time and work allow. I think Mount Mitchell is going to be tough mentally and physically.