Location - Kariong to Brooklyn return
Distance covered - 71km
Riding time - 3 hours 50 minutes
Total time - 4 hours 36 minutes
Weather - Extreme!
Calories burnt - 2433
Speed - 18.3km/h (average) 48.5km/h (max)
Heart rate 143 (average) 219 (max)*
*lightning interference most likely, otherwise I'd probably
have needed an ambulance... I'd say 174 would be closer to max :)
I don't tend to write about solo rides here, (as riding on my own tends to mean less to talk about and fewer laughs and silly, happy, crazy incidents...). But every now and then a ride crops up begging to be posted. How to memorise son's 10th birthday when mum in question's seemilngly hell-bent on an alternative anniversary of her own? :D
Initially Bunny-Amanda and I had planned to go for a ride, but we ended up cancelling late the evening before (bring a bucket-syndrome)... and then there was the weather forecast (oh but they can be wrong!). Despite cancellation and the weather report, I got it into my head that I could get up and go for a short ride in the morning just to clear my head. (Doh!) So, with blinkers on and the morning weather looking oh, so promising, I set off...
I cycled down the old Pacific Hwy with fresh air, bell-bird twitters, and feeling better than I had expected. There are definite hills along this way, but the road sort of stages in nice sections where you feel you can really challenge yourself and then get that wow feeling as you cruise... t'is the undulation bunnies :)!
And I thought: Oh why not ride all the way to Brooklyn and back making it a long ride... !
I passed a section where they were doing roadworks and had the privilege of being waved through by a most enthusiastic lollipop-man. Then I rode through Mt White and passed a guy who'd just crossed the road to turn around at his half-way mark - he'd stopped on the side for a rest and so I said G'day and smiled as I passed him (it's not often I get to pass someone on a road-bike... so ignoring the fact that he was standing still..., I felt quite speedy as I cruised past ;) ).
Cycle cycle cycle - up hills, down hills. As I was climbing yet another hill, the road-bike guy I'd passed earlier caught up with me... and it turned out to be my step-uncle! :) What a lovely surprise! (and yes I do need glasses!) Super fit and fast, he hung back and rode with me down to Brooklyn before speeding off to his destination further down the road. Definitely a case of "Fancy meeting you here".
I rode into Brooklyn, bought some water and snacked on cashews, sultanas and almonds before turning around and starting the journey back home...
Suddenly the overcast, slightly sun-spotted weather opted for a complete turn-around. Overcast became a dark, dark angry looking sky, with massive clouds starting to spit rain; I could hear thunder as I rode up the first long hill towards Mt White, with a little scared voice jumping around in my head: "Its definitely getting closer!!!"
Quickly I found myself riding in a full-on thunderstorm with torrential rain! I tend to be the sort of person who cowers away from windows when the bad storms hit. Adjusting to the idea that I was in fact flailing around in the middle of a massive thunder storm posing as a bloody lightning rod! ... not the easiest task on hand, especially when on a mountain renowned for all the lightning strikes it attracts!
Each flash I would count and pedal and then scream when the bang hit. There was nowhere to hide and no traffic around, and I had to psyche myself up to super-woman speed each time I went under a power-line, not to mention crossing the bridge over the F3 - where I felt like I wasn't only the highest point around, but an easy target begging to be hit...! Oh there were times when I seriously thought of just lying down on the road and crying - but somehow kept pedalling through droves and floods of water and thinking of that hopeful hot shower at the end...
Finally, I arrived home in a very sorry soaked state of complete shock... My legs were shaking and my eyes hurt from all the lightning flashes.... Ouch! But I made it, and the delayed euphoria of being alive kept me going all weekend!
Annette :)
Well, you certainly some kind of very special 'bunny award' for completing such a dreadful ride. I think I would have been lying down, crying. The fact that there was no-one around would have made it just that much more scarey! Congratulations to a very brave bunny (and, yes, I would agree that you probably need new glasses!).
ReplyDeleteThank you :) I think maybe not wearing my glasses may even have helped ;) too much detail would have been :P on a day like this! Although a stressful end to the ride; I could (once safely back home), well appreciate the first 2 thirds of the ride - as it was very beautiful :)
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