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Most days I get on the bike I know exactly where I am going. The plan for the ride it clear. That is most days. The route that I choose are already predetermined before I hit the door. My minds eye knows the first and last land mark that I should see. I know the terrain. I have a fair knowledge of the traffic. I even know what time lines to take and the rarely negotiated technical routes. The routes are familiar. Which is why it is such a surprise that when I finally decided on which one to take, it is always a struggle between which one I can take and which one I should have taken.
As the work day ended, I suited up for a quick afternoon ride. I was looking forward to getting on the bike and pedaling off my frustrations for the day. After being still in front of a computer screen, the energy that I had bottled up was looking for a way to get out and get active. It was here that I had my first confusing decision to make. On the one hand I could have taken my road bike. No matter what route I decided upon, I would have the right tool for the job. I had already spent more than enough money on getting it up graded from the entry level model to a distance beast. Functionally it was great, comfortable and easy to maintain. On the other hand, I had recently updated my gravel bike with road tires. The gearing would be easier to climb and the shorter reach would make it much easier to control. On this bike, if I decided to stop, I could, as the pedals were toe clips and straps. The gearing on this bike was a little slower than that of my road bike so I would have to pedal to maintain the same speeds.
Back and fourth I went weighing the pros and cons of the two bikes. This bike is faster but it also has done this route before. Where this bike is heavier and has new wheels. I wonder how the bike will feel on this route. Back and fourth I went until finally I decided that they are just bikes. It didn’t matter what bike I took it would be fun and healthier to take any one of them as opposed to staying in the house. “Dammit, Im burning daylight!” I pulled the bike computer off the charger, snatched a waterbottle from the refrigerator and mounted them on my gravel bike. My thinking being that I was already wearing my gym shoes and the road bike was mounted on the bike trainer from yesturday’s ride.
I was off and out the front door. Without a route loaded in my GPS computer, I pedaled away, heading out and about without a clue as to what route I was going to complete. My first thought was to do one of the twenty mile routes. Each one had their area of difficulty. Behind every steep descent was a pain climb. I knew that the climb was ever present. What I didn’t know was which climb I was going to tackle. On and upwards I pedaled, thinking to myself that I could turn at any point and tackle and number of routes that had a climb. Yet with each passing pedal stroke, I was limiting my options. Before I knew it, I had pedaled up to the beginning of the Revenge Ride.
The Revenge ride is one of the few rides where I have had to put my foot down and catch my breath while I was climbing the hill. The memory of that day still haunts me to this day. Not only did it beat me solo, it also beat me in a group. The ride has a slope that is steep on both ends, causing you to feel like your falling in to a valley, like a fly finding a nice web where you can rest, only to find the exiting hill is so steep, unless you are willing to push yourself to your absolute max effort, you will be defeated. I had taken my revenge on this ride with the road bike as well as the gravel bike with the gravel tires. I had not tried it with the road tires. I swallowed a mouthful of air and headed toward the descent.
I remembered firmly holding on to my brakes. Like before the entrance to this climb was steep. The slope for this part of the ride was so steep it was not uncommon for the a bicycle to reach upwards of thirty miles per hour. At that speed, being fancy or showing off is not an option. The ride is like entering a storm in that you hear the wind thundering in your ear. You will feel the tears being pulled from your eyes. No matter the weather, a chill from the unnerving speed will quiver down your spine. As the wheels spin that much faster, your gaze lifts to reach further up the road. What was once considered a distant away now requires you to have a plan and a decision made at the moment of notice. The speeds that we dream of as children are bone chilling as adults. Its one thing to call out the devil, it is another thing to face him.
The road levels near the bottom, lulling you in to a false sense of comfort. Here where the slope of the ride is close to zero, there is sinister climb just around the bend. Just out of sight, it waits to creep up under your wheel as you pedal. The effort starts to bite. What was once a simple speed to maintain has now started to take a little more muscle. It doesn’t hurt, you can manage it, you assume. You shift the gears and keep pedaling.
The rise meets you. It bends around a second corner, now with more elevation and a steeper slope. The call from your legs is stronger. You have to control your breathing as from here you cannot see the entrance. You have firmly entered the spiders web and are now on the road to escape. You push a little harder. You feel your heart beat speeding up in your chest. A shift of the bike to lessen the bite of the effort and you continue to pedal. You continue to push and you continue to rise.
Now you are at the bottom of the final push. The gradient has all but reached its highest on the Godforsaken ride. Another drop in the gears and you risk spinning out and rolling backwards. A single mistaken breath and you risk the fury of your legs and lungs burning beneath your skin. The summit is in reach. You can see the top of the hill. It is so close and yet so far away.
You push.
You Pedal
You pant
You gasp
You focus
You swallow
Its just out of reach. You are almost there. You assure yourself you can do it. You lock your eyes on the summit. You are almost there. You push, you pedal, you pant, you grunt. You glance down at the bike computer and read the gradient of the elevation as nine percent. This is a wall, you think.
You summit the climb. After which you notice the fleet of cars and trucks behind you waiting to pass. You have reached the top. You have conquered the climb. You have escaped the web and now you only need to head back home to finish the ride.
Everytime I do this ride, everytime I plan to take this route, I never know if it is the right route to take. Sure I can be fast anywhere, I can climb just about anything with enough time and energy. But there is something about this climb that is scary. Something that make me wonder if I am getting stronger or smarter. That is how steep and scary this ride is. It makes you question your own fitness as an athlete. While I could have taken a route that would allow me to test my speed it would not have been enough. While I could have climbed any hill in my area, it would not have been enough. While I could have ridden an distance and still had enough time to make it home before sunset, it would not have been enough. What I needed on this day was a ride that would tame a fear that I have a habit of suppressing. I needed to take the Revenge Ride.
By: | Na Derro Cartwright |
Started in: | Harford County, MD, US |
Distance: | 23,2 mi |
Selected: | 23,2 mi |
Elevation: | + 1214 / - 1239 ft |
Moving Time: | 01:31:49 |
Gear: | Scott Speedster Gravel |
Page Views: | 12 |
Departed: | 08.04.2022, 04:26 |
Starts in: | Harford County, MD, US |
Distance: | 23,2 mi |
Selected distance: | 23,2 mi |
Elevation: | + 1214 / - 1239 ft |
Max Grade: | |
Avg Grade | |
Cat | |
FIETS | |
VAM | |
Ascent time | |
Descent time | |
Total Duration: | 01:38:38 |
Selection Duration: | 5918 |
Moving Time: | 01:31:49 |
Selection Moving Time: | 01:31:49 |
Stopped Time: | 00:06:49 |
Max Speed: | 31,3 mph |
Avg Speed: | 15,2 mph |
Pace: | 00:04:15 |
Moving Pace: | 00:03:57 |
Max Cadence: | 113 rpm |
Min Cadence: | 10 rpm |
Avg Cadence: | 76 rpm |
Max HR: | 169 bpm |
Min HR: | 79 bpm |
Avg HR: | 142 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.
Estimated Time shows a prediction of how long it would take you to ride a given route. This number is based on your recent riding history, and represents an estimate of moving time. Each time you upload a new ride, your Estimated Time profile will adjust to reflect your most recent riding. Only rides exceeding 10 miles (16 km) will affect these estimates.
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