Today was cool (62 degrees), windy and dreary. Nathan and Stephen and I had a chance to ride while Erin (still recovering from oral surgery on Wednesday) had lunch with a friend. We hadn’t been out since the Tour d’Donut…so we were somewhat rusty. Stephen and Nathan spent some time with the bikes before we headed out. Nathan’s has been shifting roughly, so it was time to oil things up.
We started at the trailhead of Terry Hershey Park on Memorial Drive, just west of Eldridge. This is a great park to ride through. The trails are paved and wide enough for people to ride in pairs (although our bike marshal Stephen won’t let us). We rode out to Highway 6 – about 2 miles and stopped to plan the rest of the route. I frequently go that far with the dogs when we do our “car walks”. It’s amazing to me how LONG 2 miles seems when you’re being dragged by two dogs (sometimes in two different directions!) vs. when you’re riding.
It’s pretty flat where we rode today. The biggest challenge came from Highway 6 to Barker- Clodine Road. We rode north about ¾ of a mile against a rather persistent headwind. Then we headed west and dealt with it as a cross wind for about 2 miles. I was glad that Stephen had suggested jackets. I had planned on going without one. I’m so glad he’s our “coach”. It really increases the likelihood that Nathan and I will be successful!
Once we got to Barker-Clodine Road, Erin called to tell us that she would be done with her lunch around 3:30. We turned around and headed back the way we came. I had responded to Erin via text page before we’d headed back. Stephen and Nathan took off ahead of me and I started back. Then I heard my phone ringing, so I stopped and checked my message… (”K” from Erin)… Once I’d put everything back, the boys were way ahead of me. I poured on the pedaling and caught up to them. I realized then that I needed a speedometer (back to Performance Bike!) so that I could be proud of myself for my speed (or recognize that pouring it on only feels like you’re going fast --)
Nathan learned how to ride without hands today. That was fun to watch. I’m not certain that I’ll add that to my repertoire.
You can see the route at the link below (I think). The map program says it was 10.12 miles. Stephen’s odometer showed 10.54. It took us about 56 minutes of actual riding…so the MS 150 (at 182 miles) will take us about 18 hours…YIKES! Wait, we’ll have a lot of training under our belts (on our butts?) before then…maybe it won’t take quite that long.
http://www.mapmywalk.com/route/us/tx/houston/256401254932
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