Solo Fifty

Woo hoo!!! I planned to ride 50 miles today, and I did it. All by myself, but I did it. No one to draft off of, no one to pull along, no one to talk to. Just me, the bike and the road. For my previous 50 mile ride, I was accompanied by my very good friend, Tim; so today's solo attempt was all about me. I could either make it and be happy, or quit and be extremely angry with myself. I'm glad I'm happy!

I couldn't have picked a better day or a better route. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride today - scenic Botetourt County would dominate the horizon today. Once I turned on Nace Road, I was treated to the beautiful farm lands and the sight of many types of animals. There were a lot of cows along side the roads today. I laughed at the ones who were standing in their streams or under trees. I loved seeing the green fields and red barns. I also got to see a fairly new horse as it stood beside the adults nibbling on the grass. It was so cute. I missed the picture opportunity as I was rolling along at a pretty good pace and didn't want to mess up my rhythm. I also got to see a group of sheep as they milled around in their muddy field. There were of course, many birds along the way today. The one thing I found most peaceful about my ride today was the stream that runs along both Nace and Lithia Roads. It was running pretty fast so the sound of the water cascading through the rocky stream bed was rather relaxing. I was tempted many times to stop and soak my feet, but since I'm highly allergic to poison ivy, and I hate ticks, I decided to keep going.

I was intrigued by the "communities" of Nace and Lithia. It appears as though they may have been established during the development of the railroad since the tracks slice right through both areas. As you ride you cross over the tracks at least a half-dozen times. There is a "siding" or switch track in Lithia with its requisite lights, and while I was riding today I noticed that one of the concrete culverts upon which the tracks run is dated 1941. I will have to look into this a bit more. I also noticed there were quite a few churches tucked away on these roads. They were also quite pretty to look at. I guess we're all in a hurry too often and don't stop to see what's around us; but today was a good reminder of the beauty of this area.

My goal today was to ride to the "swinging bridge" in Buchanan, walk out to the middle of it and take some pictures. I was able to successfully complete my mission. When I arrived at the bridge, I decided to give my feet a break from my shoes. I also thought it might be easier to walk on the wooden, swinging bridge without the clunky, slick bottomed shoes. I quickly discovered that my sock feet weren't much match for the steeply sloping bridge entrance. I slid sideways, but was able to maintain my balance. I walked out to the middle, took my pictures and had a granola bar. Enjoyed a drink of Gatorade and some Sharkies then back on the bike.

Now, it would be time to head back home. I had preplanned the route to take Rt 11 back to Roanoke. To put it honest, this sucked!!! There was more uphill than I anticipated, and I struggled terribly at times. I became unhappy with my feet as they kept falling asleep and my butt was hurting! I hit 40 miles somewhere near Troutville, so I knew I could do the last 10. I didn't anticipate that my back would start aching on Hollins Road and that my inner quads and hips would begin screaming at me as I approached Plantation Road. I only had 3 miles left, but they were the most agonizing. I wound up using neighborhood streets and the nearby nursing home in order to complete my 50 this week. I thought the ride mapped out to 50 without this when I planned it, but I guess not. Who knows! 50 is 50.

Anyway, like I said, I thoroughly enjoyed my day today. I look forward to being able to ride a mountain bike on a dry trail. This might happen this year. It might not. The way things have been going around here, it will be muddy until 2010. I just don't want to tear up trails, and I don't want to have to keep cleaning mud off the bike. This being said, the road bike will continue to be ridden as an alternative.

50.26 miles, 3hrs 13min 11 seconds, 15.6mph Avg, 141bpm Avg. =) GOOD TIMES!