Designed to Descend

Another first today: I had to brake for a motorcycle. That might seem unremarkable, but I was not traveling in a motorized vehicle at the time. I was bicycling downhill at about 32 mph on a curvy (but not steep) road with plenty of visibility. I have two wheels, he had two wheels plus a motor. There were a couple of other guys with me, and the motorcyclist motioned for us to back off. So, we did.

I consoled myself by experimenting with aerodynamics. My companions were good descenders and had a slight lead. One had dropped into his most aerodynamic position; I did the same. Immediately, I started gaining on him; I passed him and opened up a gap without turning a single pedal stroke. Some cyclists are born to climb, others to sprint. It seems I am designed to descend.

Today's route took us up (and sometimes down) four principal climbs, ascending 3,550 feet over 28.1 miles. I climbed the easier (east) side of Quimby Road for the first time, and then plummeted down the insanely steep and twisty west side (with abundant caution). I had not descended that on a bicycle before today; the pavement is poor and there is no room for error. There was some relatively straight stretch where I relaxed a bit and unintentionally reached my top speed for the day (37.6 mph). I also did something I never before imagined: I saw a slight uphill ahead and I braked before heading up. The road also curved at that point; without knowing the topography ahead, I calculated that I was carrying more speed than the hill would take back.

It felt great to get out on a longer ride. Before yesterday's Montevina climb, I headed over to the rollers around the Lexington Reservoir to warm up. Imagine my surprise, later, to discover that my 7-mile warm-up had included 765 feet of climbing. This hill-climbing thing is getting to be a habit.