Things got off to a good start: I
arrived early enough on Friday to take a short spin on the road bike
to ensure its readiness for Saturday's big ride. And Saturday's ride
was big indeed! The Fools Classic was a monster, covering 79 miles
of seldom-used and even less-frequently-maintained country roads.
The ride featured more than 5,000 feet of climbing and about 20 miles
of unpaved roads. There were about 70 riders. I wasn't the first to
finish and I wasn't the last. It wasn't a race, per se, but a
sportive not unlike Cheesehead Roubaix. But while Cheesehead Roubaix
is mostly flat, the Fools Classic went up and down a series of hills
quite unlike anything we have in southeastern Wisconsin. Imagine our
steepest hill. Now triple the length of the climb. Now strip all
the asphalt off the road. I needed 5:55 to complete the route, and I
was completely cooked when it was over. But I was rewarded with a
good day of training, a free T-shirt and two bottles of
locally-brewed ale.
On Sunday morning I enjoyed Tom
Boonen's victory at Paris—Roubaix, though clearly the race was
changed for the worse by the absence of Fabian Cancellara. I did a
short recovery ride later on Sunday and felt surprisingly good. That
led me to believe Monday's trip to Evansburg State Park would be
enjoyable, but I hated every moment of my time on the mountain bike
trails there. I have to believe that it's still so early in the
season that nobody is riding on or maintaining the trails, as they
were in terrible shape. I gave up after a frustrating hour of trying
to find a coherent loop, then got a front tire flat as I was
returning to my car.
Today was a rest day that shouldn't
have been a rest day. All day long I lived under the threat of rain,
but the rain never came. Tomorrow's forecast is nearly identical to
today's, but I'll try to ride if I can. It's low-50s and very high
winds here, so I would rather be on the trails than on the road. But
now that I know Evansburg is a big pile of suck, I don't know where
to take the 29er. I'm thinking about going back to the Perkiomen
Trail. It won't help me with my technical riding skills at all, but
at least it will allow me to ride for a couple of hours in the woods.
If that plan doesn't work tomorrow, then perhaps I'll try it on
Thursday, my last day here. A long ride on the Perkiomen Trail would
be a satisfying conclusion to my trip. Without it, I will be
disappointed. The Fools Classic by itself was not enough to get me
closer to the fitness I want before the WORS race at Iola on May 6.
There won't be an opportunity to ride on Friday or Saturday. I'm
already watching Sunday's weather forecast, hoping for a chance to
rediscover my home roads for a few hours.
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