Biking!

Andrew and I went on our first biking trip last weekend. The itinerary called for a 27-mile ride around the Shenandoah River, a drive along Skyline Drive in the late afternoon, an overnight rest in Culpeper, and then either another 30-mile ride, or a walking tour of some of Virginia's historic county areas, such as Culpeper, Orange, and Montpelier.

Our trip started Sunday morning as we locked our bikes on the trunk of my car. While driving on I-66 heading west, I all of a sudden remembered the one thing I forgot to pack: sneakers. D'oh! As luck would have it, we were a few exits from a Walmart, and while it's not my most favorite place, we didn't really have much of a choice but to stop. I couldn't really bikeride in my sandals, now could I? Thankfully, Andrew's sister and brother-in-law navigated us successfully from the highway to the store. What's a world without internet buddies?

We got to the starting point in Millwood at around noon, changed into our biking gear (mmm, guy in spandex!), ate lunch (mistake #1), and were on our way. Now, let me just remind everyone why I chose this ride from the book we bought-- because of it's description:

This short ramble is a great beginner’s ride that takes the cyclist along the pleasant country roads of Clarke and Warren counties. Although there are several short climbs, the terrain is mainly gently rolling and suitable for any cyclist. While the first half of the ride offers splendid views of the Blue Ridge, the second half winds along the Shenandoah River, tempting the cyclist to take a refreshing dip. The ride begins and ends in Millwood, a small village and home to the Burwell-Morgan Mill. Terrain: Gently rolling, with a few climbs. Suitable for beginners. (emphasis added.)

I bought my bike in March and since then, I've done no more than 10-15 mile stretches at once, mostly on flat ground. I consider myself a beginner and wouldn't kid myself about what I'm capable of doing. Plus, I know my legs aren't the strongest, so climbing isn't my strong suit.

So this ride sounds like it's suitable for a rider like me, right? WRONG! "Several short climbs" is not really an apt description. There were quite a few rolling hills, as country roads in this neck of the woods are apt to be. I wasn't so thrilled at the site of them. (I'm considering filing suit against the author for false advertising.)

Anyways, the first 5 miles were tremendously difficult. And not necessarily only because of the hills. Remember mistake #1? Yeah. We ate lunch before our ride and didn't wait to let the sandwiches digest properly. I had to get off my bike at least 3 or 4 times every 5 minutes or so, because my lower body just felt like lead and I had absolutely no energy at all. Zero. Zilch. I thought I would really pass out. It was so bad, I couldn't even tell Andrew how I was feeling, because I just had no energy to even talk. I was seriously contemplating turning back, and Andrew suggested he would ride back and get the car to pick me up. I felt terrible, since we were both looking forward to this trip and I really didn't want to wimp out. But I also wasn't confident I could get thru another 5 miles, let alone the full 27.

By mile 5, my body had had enough, and I pulled over to the side, collapsed to the ground, and just puked. Needless to say, I felt better after that. :)

From mile 5 till around a little before our resting point (mile 16.9), we cruised. Yes, I had to get off my bike a few times and walk up the hill in front of me, but I felt good and wanted to push forward. The scenery was beautiful and we had a nice view of the mountains and valleys with country homes and farms smattered in between. We saw cows and horses and some road kill of course.

A few highlights:

*At approximately mile 10 or 11, we hit the river. The map told us of a one lane bridge that crosses the river, and as we approached it, we recalled the torrential rains that had fallen on these parts just last week and wondered aloud in what state we would actually find the bridge. Our eyes widened as the bridge came into view with the river flowing fast literally just a foot from over-running it. Pretty amazing!

* The climb to our rest stop at mile 16.9 was steep. While Andrew attacked the hill like a good climber, I was forced to get off my bike yet again and slowly make my way to the top. An air-conditioned mini market was waiting for me. By the time I got up there, I was ready to quit, but Andrew reminded me that if we had to climb to get here, the next leg of the ride would be downhill. Good point. So after a 15 minute rest, we got back on our bikes and headed downhill. My cruising speed right now on flat ground is usually around 12.3 mph. Going downhill, I fly at 25-28 mph. You can just imagine the rush of wind. It's fun. On the way down, I see a half-mile ahead of me something in the middle of the road. It could very well be roadkill but as I got closer, it slowly moved in my lane. Even closer, I noticed it was a turtle! And it was right in my way. I had no idea what to do, since it was too late to swirve to the other side of the road, and I certainly didn't want to run over the darn little thing. So as I approach it at 25 mph (which is quite fast on a bike), I screamed "turtle!" for no reason what so ever and was thankfully able to manuver a bit to my right to just miss hitting the turtle's shell.

*I'm no Lance Armstrong, but I survived the 27-mile ride. I learned that there are two aspects to biking: distance and climbing. I have no problem with distance. In fact, if the terrain were flat, I think I could probably ride for a long while before getting tired. It's the climbing that kills me. But a lot of the interesting and beautiful trails and bike routes are hilly, so if I want to continue doing this, I need to get into shape-- strengthing my core area and thighs/hamstrings. That begins on Monday.

We decided to do the walking tours on Monday, considering how hot and humid it was and we were both physically exhausted. The highlight of the day was our visit to Montpelier, the home of James and Dolley Madison. HIGHLY recommended. The history of the mansion is interesting, and Madison is a fascinating study. The home is going thru total renovations, which makes the visit now even more amazing, because you are actually walking thru a construction site and can see the evolution of the house from what it was when Madison's grandfather bought it, to how Madison himself renovated it, to the additions on the home when Dolley had to sell it. The Duponts were the last private owners and they willed it to the National Trust to be restored to it's original state. Montpelier is only 80-90 miles from DC and is very worth the trip.