The Tour de Fat flames out with the "Big Boys" today
I had my first long distance ride with the cycling monsters of the Rocky Mountain Cycling Club today and there is one word to descibe the day.......humbling! Last Saturday, I did 50 miles of climbing with them and did ok.
This week was a different story. I wasn't able to complete the entire ride and ended up doing 100 miles out of the 125 mile mountain trek but I'm ok with it. The men and women of the RMCC are unbelieveable physical beasts. All legs and lungs.
The 25 miles I "avoided" was some of the most vertical climbing I've ever seen with average grades in the mid-to-high teens. We came upon this stuff about halfway through the ride after, as the ride leader described it, we were softened up by 25 miles of "less severe" climbing. Softened up like getting pummelled by George Foreman for 5 rounds.
All in all, I got in a great ride which will prepare me for future "official" Tour de Fat events although I know I have some work to do to complete the Triple Bypass in July. By the way, the RMCC kinds of thumbs their noses at the Triple Bypass which is considered the most difficult sanctioned cycling event in Colorado. The motto for the "125 mile, 3 big time mountain passes in one day" Triple Bypass is "For those who dare." The RMCC has a motto for a ride they do and it's "For those who double dare." In other words, they do the same Triple Bypass ride twice in one day.
The lesson learned.....When you start thinkin' you're a bad ass, there are always badder asses out there!
Boner
