Hilly, Hilly, Hilly

Nothing like a hilly, organized touring ride to jump start my legs. AHHHHHHH. This weekend was wonderful. It was Hilly Hundred time--two days, 50 miles each day. The title doesn't lie; this is a hilly ride.

It wasn't easy to lift the images from the organizer's site, so here is a less-than-perfect version.

Day 1 made me want to cry. It was SO cold in the morning--high 30s? The cloud cover didn't help the cold seeping into our bones. Thankfully, my fingers were warm from Randi's recommended Manzella gloves. With wet leaves crushed onto the road, the first hill was slippery. We would have to pay extra attention as the morning's rain wasn't drying out. Sadly, our group saw the Emergency Rescue and ambulance headed toward a location behind us as we arrived at the first rest stop. We learned later the crash victim was an acquaintance that rode several miles with members of our group in the past few years. Rumors are indicating she has a head injury along with multiple other injuries. Yes, safety would be paramount.

The first rest stop had doughnuts. mmmmmmm. I enjoyed one along with a banana. No, 13 miles in to a 50 mile ride did not warrant the sugary treat. But the Hilly Hundred demanded it. You must eat while on this ride. I did.

Expecting cold, fried chicken at the lunch stop, I was not disappointed. We all ate the poultry, chicken, veggies, cookies, and Schwann's Ice Cream. Well, I didn't have any ice cream. I know many of you are confused. I was holding out for Ritter's that awaited at day's end. Also unexpectedly, the sun came out! Nothing had made me happier up to that point than to have the sun shining down. It wasn't enough to make me want to shed a layer, but it certainly helped my disposition.

I also want to note that two of our clan rode fixed gears on this day. To sum it up for the non-riders. This is HARD. One gear. Choose it wisely; it must be easy enough to go up hills and hard enough to go down the hills. Because when you go downhill, your pedals move--there is no coasting. Your cadence at times can be 50 rpms or 150 rpms. Both decided to make little foot pegs on the frame to unclip and rest their feet while bombing down a hill. It was silly to see; I wonder what people thought.....

The last rest stop. Mr. Wonderful finds is happy to be resting.

It was way too cold for shorts on this day....

Coach Battin and JL find us. Matt impressed us with his off-road skills to ride the ditch.


Just a shot of all the bikes.
The camera phone doesn't take great pics, but this one is a beauty. There's a tractor in the shed--classic Indiana.

Day 2 would prove to be sunny with warmer temps. While we started in the 40s, we ended at 65 degrees. Mer joined us today, and we had quite a group at the start.

We didn't all finish at the same time, but rolling out together was a treat. I knew the boys would throw the hammer down on Anderson road, so I was itching to take the bait. I rode 3rd wheel until the guys started getting twitchy at which point I fell into the pace line in 9th wheel. It was heaven. The engine started pulling, and I was going fast again. My heart rate hasn't been elevated like that in a couple of months, but I was still able to talk. AND I didn't even get shelled on the first rise! Nor was I the first or second to get dropped. Granted they weren't going ALL out or I would have been shelled at the beginning, but mid 20s was fine with me. I finally dropped off just before the turn into the forest. After a minute's rest, another group came past with Mr. Wonderful on the back. He gave me some advance notice to get up to speed. This group pulled us to the others who had dropped off the pace in anticipation of the Bean Blossom climb. I had been taking the hills easy and was happy to do so again.

Just like Day 1, cold, fried chicken awaited us at the lunch stop. The leaves, temps, sun, and atmosphere was glorious.

After the final rest stop, we found ourselves on another flat section. Scott started the train again, and we all jumped on. Into the headwind, Art passed us on his fixed gear. What an animal! We were already going 20+. I stayed on until I knew no one else would drop then backed off to rejoin Mr. Wonderful and Mer. I would ride the rest of the 8 miles or so with them.

Sunday turned out to be gorgeous and totally made up for Saturday's dismal weather. I was all smiles for 50 miles. The leaves were breathtaking, though the pics can never show the depths of the colors and enormity of the scenery. Below are a couple of Phyllis that are awesome. Congrats to her for completing 50 miles. Way too cool.