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Todays ride wasn’t about speed or conditioning. It wasn’t about getting up the hills the fastest or beating a goal. It was simply a matter of being consistent. In all honesty I didn’t want to get on the bike today. I would have rather laid up in bed and allowed the warm winters day to go as quickly as it had come. The motivation for the work of getting on the bike and pedaling was completely gone. The motivation was gone but the habit was demanding.
I eventually got out of bed, put on a set of sweats and stood on the porch for a moment. The air was thick and warm, unusual for this time of year but perfect for outside riding. I wouldn’t have a problem getting to Bel Air and back. I was still being fought. Something in my head was telling me not to get on the bike. Im not sure if it was fear, panic, a sense of foreshadowing, or maybe the fact that I was leaving the house, but what ever it was, it was strong. I could feel it keeping me inside, warning me of what might happen as I was leaving the comfort of my home. I didn’t have to ride, I wasn’t being called upon to ride. Why was this so hard? I had ridden earlier in the morning before. I had ridden a longer distance before. I had ridden carrying more weight and with less fitness. If anything I should be eager to get on the bike and knock this out. The more I tried to determine the source of the doubt that I was battling the louder it became. It was not until I took off my shirt and strapped on my heart rate monitor that the feeling began to subside. I placed my kit on piece by piece concentrating on the route that I was going to take. I could ride between the parks, that was about 22 miles. I could ride up to Bel Air, that would be about 20 miles. I could even ride my bike up to Madonna or Havre de Grace, that would be a good 40 mile trip one way. By the time I settled on the bike and fixed my shoes in to the toe straps, I was heading toward Bel Air, the thought of the doubt, faint but still present.
At the first turn off of Hanson toward Emmorton, I became acutely aware of how easy it would be to turn around. I could stop the bike and do a small climb back up the hill. It would be easy. If the hill was to high I could walk. I would be back home in a matter of minutes. I could do any number of things to get back home. Instead I allowed gravity to pull me toward the bridge over Pulaski Highway and toward Route 7.
The road began to rise. Gravity’s influence over the bike lessened. It would be up to me to get the bike moving again. At any other day I would be in a heavy gear, desperately trying to keep the speed that I had gained from before. Time had taught me that no matter how strong you are, if you cant turn the pedals over, you cant move the bike forward. To that end, I shifted the bike to something easier and pushed the pedals up the hill. It wasn’t as fast as I would have liked, and I didn’t have the burning sensation in my legs that I had from previous rides. What I did have was a relaxed ascent that brought me to the light at Emmorton Road and route 7.
When the light changed to green the next hill would be one along Emmorton toward Interstate 95. This interchange was always busy. Even in the middle of the night or early morning, one could always count on cars and trucks entering and exiting the interstate here. The issue that I faced would be one of space. As the cars would enter the highway, there is little space to allow a bicycle to cross over between the road and the entrance and exit. Additionally, because interstate 95 is infact an interstate, there were two entrances and exits. This meant that as I passed the cars I had to consistently look back to make sure that I had the time and the space on the road to cross all while managing my speed. The only thing that makes this part of the ride bareable is that the road is flat as a board. I could carry my speed from one sprint to the next without having to burn myself out.
After the interstate is passed the road kicks up rather abruptly toward route 924. From here it is about 5 miles to Bel Air. At the top of this hill the road is a straight shot in to the small city. The general terrain map will show that there is a consistent climb from the bottom of the interstate interchange to the top of the city’s entrance. On the route there is a fair amount of hills and descents. Should anything happen like an accident or mechanical incident, there are plenty of people that can witness, or at least call for help. A few falls and rises before one would be in the city turning left past the Police Station toward the Harford Mall.
Behind the mall, I was surprised how many people were out shopping during a global pandemic. The parking lot to the mall was practically full. From edge to edge cars could be seen parked in a their respective spaces, with people both coming and going to and from the mall. Normally it would be a vacant ghost town as social distancing kept people in their home. Now with the restrictions slightly lifted, it appears people were back to shopping in full force.
Around the mall and past the empty car lot the road takes a deeps dip to a bridge over the passing stream.
*Side note if you are planning a ride, avoid water as it causes the road dip down and keep dipping down. You may have an awesome descent but you will have a steep climb.
After this climb was the last major climb of the ride. From the bottom of US Business route 1 to Harford Road. The first Part of this climb is fairly tame, with the gradient rising only a few percent. This stays true until you get to the steep ascent where the gradient jumps to 8% -10%. An light gear is your best friend on this climb as you will have a hard time keeping a steady cadence with anything harder. It is important to keep your wits about you the passing cars are inattentive and in a hurry.
From here it is a steep ride back down hill. The roads descending gradient kept the speed of the bike high in the area of 20 to 25 mph.
As I look back on the ride, there is a moment of satisfaction that I had reached my goal of completing my set 20 miles for the day. It is even better that I beat the doubt that will no doubt be present again when I attempt to face this challenge or one similar to it tomorrow.
By: | Na Derro Cartwright |
Started in: | Harford County, MD, US |
Distance: | 20,2 mi |
Selected: | 20,2 mi |
Elevation: | + 1140 / - 1151 ft |
Moving Time: | 01:31:37 |
Gear: | Scott Speedster Gravel |
Page Views: | 9 |
Departed: | 2022/01/02 13:34 |
Starts in: | Harford County, MD, US |
Distance: | 20,2 mi |
Selected distance: | 20,2 mi |
Elevation: | + 1140 / - 1151 ft |
Max Grade: | |
Avg Grade | |
Cat | |
FIETS | |
VAM | |
Ascent time | |
Descent time | |
Total Duration: | 01:39:16 |
Selection Duration: | 5956 |
Moving Time: | 01:31:37 |
Selection Moving Time: | 01:31:37 |
Stopped Time: | 00:07:39 |
Max Speed: | 36,3 mph |
Avg Speed: | 13,2 mph |
Pace: | 00:04:54 |
Moving Pace: | 00:04:31 |
Max Cadence: | 128 rpm |
Min Cadence: | 10 rpm |
Avg Cadence: | 65 rpm |
Max HR: | 178 bpm |
Min HR: | 95 bpm |
Avg HR: | 144 bpm |
Best format for turn-by-turn directions on modern Garmin Edge Devices
Best format for turn by turn directions on Edge 500, 510. Will provide true turn by turn navigation on Edge 800, 810, 1000, Touring including custom cue entries. Great for training when we release those features. Not currently optimal for Virtual Partner.
Useful for uploading your activity to another service, keeping records on your own computer etc.
Useful for any GPS unit. Contains no cuesheet entries, only track information (breadcrumb trail). Will provide turn by turn directions (true navigation) on the Edge 705/800/810/1000/Touring, but will not have any custom cues. Works great for Mio Cyclo. Find GPS specific help in our help system.
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