Round and round we go

Stage 27
Day Total: 116km
Total Time: 5:14
Avg. Speed: 22.2km/h
Avg. Hear Rate: 132bpm

Song of the Day: Foreigner – Feels Like the First Time

I’m bringing you a bit of a format change for the next few days as I suspect you might be tiring of the mundane detail of the rides day after day. To that end, I will try to include some insights into the happenings in camp. We’ll see how it goes.

The rider meeting last night indicated this was a 107km day with more rolling hills. No mention was made of significant climbing or anything too out of the ordinary – that would come the following day with the 1350+ meter (4500 foot)/20km climb out of the Blue Nile Gorge. All right, then. Ride alone, at my pace, get through the day, and survive the day after. Fair enough.

I rolled out of camp on my own, feeling OK, playing my game, targeting lunch at 60km. I made it to lunch but felt as if I had just climbed to the moon, a quick glance at the Garmin Edge 800 telling me that I had indeed just climbed 897m. Ouch. I took a leisurely lunch, enjoying the view, using the nearby stand of trees to tend to some business, and contemplating the upcoming afternoon. UK Paul, Adam, and the two race leaders came and went. No big deal as it wasn’t a part of my plan today. I took off on my own, continued riding up and down and up and up and up. The kilometers ticked away – I didn’t feel spectacular, but had no off moments which is an improvement. I think it is partly attributable to my decision to not consume peanut butter at lunch. Seems to be working, but maybe it is dumb luck. I feel dumb sometimes so perhaps that is the case… A final twisty descent on pavement put me into the final 4km of the ride. Sweet, no pedaling. Holy mackerel, that pavement rolled as much as my stomach after a stellar bender. I opened the suspension fork just to be safe. Does that make me weak? The final surprise of the day was a 1.5km stretch of gravel and a sharp, steep climb into camp. That hurt a bit, but when does climbing 1700 meters over 107km feel good?

Camp was a real treat. Dubbed “Forest Camp”, we camped in stands of tall pine trees that appeared to have been a part of a reforestation project. At 2600m (8000 feet) elevation, it was cool and the trees created ample shade such that a long afternoon’s nap in the tent was possible. I awoke to the smell of burning wood charcoal and my head confirmed what my stomach hoped: there would be grilled chicken for dinner. I ate 3/4 of a whole chicken while others drank beers (the locals ensuring we had – for a price – everything we wanted). There was a bit of anxiety settling over the camp with the pending time trial tomorrow.

Overheard at camp tonight:
“I’ll ride the truck before I walk up that hill.”

Followed in rapid succession by:
“I won’t walk up that hill unless I shit myself. Given that I rarely cycled 20km in a day before this trip, it could happen.”