When to Push a Bike

Post for May 29

I don’t have as many pictures today because I was too busy suffering.

After cycling 80 miles yesterday, I foolishly thought I was strong enough for 60 miles today. I now know not to take credit for a tailwind, which is why I cycled 80 miles yesterday. And then, then the hills today were tough. They were similar to the toughest places I’ve cycled, like the Appalachian Mountains and Cornwall in SW England. The graph gives an idea of what they were like.

I cycled in a unique part of Wisconsin’s farmland. The first part is that it’s called the ‘Driftless Region.’ That means glaciers never went there. That kept the terrain hilly since glaciers squash anything they wander over. Cycling in farmland also makes hills harder because farm roads don’t get smoothed out like highways.

Years ago, I asked my friend Ann what it was like to cycle up a mountain, since she’d cycled more than me. She smiled and replied, ‘There ain’t no mountain I can’t push my bike up.’ Wise words, which I used on this day. Even pushing my bike up the hills wore me down.

I haven’t been exhausted like this for a long time, so the song for today is The Long Day is Over.