Two Wheel Blogs

Route: Belk Park Loop
Time: :57
Miles: 18.1
Pace: 19 mph

Riding Tunes: Afro-Celtic Sound System

Okay, I admit it: I don't like losing. Even though I don't race, I wouldn't mind finishing behind better, stronger riders, of which there are many. (That's one of the nice things about being a beginning rider: there is no shortage of better, stronger people to ride with.) But I do not like losing to myself, even if it's not meeting a time goal. This morning, I wanted to ride the loop in less than an hour, and I failed to do so. I got to savor the taste of that all morning. And then, at 1:00 p.m., I got to do something about it. I got back on the bike and took another run at Belk.

"This time, it would be different," I told myself. "This time, I'll dig deep, and I'll force myself to keep the pace up. And I'll stand up in the pedals to pump my way up the hills. And on the flats, I'll hit the big chain ring for all it's worth, and I'll push, push, push myself." And, for the most part, I did.

I set a good early pace on the Watershed Trail. When I turned north to start the Moreland climb, I was up in the pedals and working it. I benefited from having just ridden it that morning, as I'd studied the route, noting where the key stretches were, the places where pace needed to be maintained or picked up. Moreland, I realized, is like a set of four steps. The key is to climb each one -- and recover in between. Knowing this, I was able to work hard on the ascents, then ease up but still maintain pace on the stretches in between. And yes, the packages of hamburger buns were still there.

Next came the run on Buchta to Belk -- a turn I almost missed. I was working the last ascent hard, and my focus was on the road in front of my tire. Suddenly, I noticed I was passing through an intersection. I looked up just in time to see "Buchta Road" on the sign. "Hey, that's my turn!" I realized. I did a hard left and headed down Buchta. This, I've come to see, is the key stretch. Somewhere along Buchta is the half-way point in the ride, and the difference between being over or under 60 is to cover this stretch as quickly as possible. And I worked it. I pushed myself to get to Belk's entrance. Soon I was emerging from the other side of Belk, then turning west onto Rock Hill.

Ah, Rock Hill -- the perfect stretch of road at the perfect time. A sharp right on a slight downhill gives me speed to do a short climb, where an immediate left sends me downhill, followed by a couple of quick rollers. Here the key is to take the speed off the downhill and carry it into the next quick climb. I cross back over Moreland and hit the home stretch. Here Rock Hill twists and turns with an occasional rise and fall. Unlike this morning, this time I am totally focused on finishing the ride strong. With the Afro-Celtic Sound System's hynpotic grooves underscoring my pedal strokes, I keep up a constant mantra: "Pump. Push. Breathe." No drifting off to thoughts of work or anything else. Just the road in front of me, the handlebars in my hand, the pedals under my feet, and my legs and lungs.

Rock Hill becomes Smith, and I'm still driving to the finish. No slacking the time. Smith becomes Drda, and the downhill drops me onto 143. Still pushing. Up 143 to the residential streets. Up in the pedals, driving forward, always forward. Onto M Street, then right onto 2nd, then Lincoln, then -- finally -- Eberhart and home. Once up the drive, I hit the Cat's Eye and see :57.

That's what was missing this morning. That's what it's like to ride hard, to maintain single-minded focus on the goal, and to reach deep inside and pull out what's required to attain that goal. It was a good feeling. The morning's 1:02 was mildly disappointing, but hardly a surprise. This afternoon's :57 made up for it. I just felt good about having a goal, going out after it, and staying focused.

Later that evening, as we were driving home from dinner, I saw the riders of the 6:00 group on their way out of town. I wanted to be riding with them, but I'd done my two for the day, and besides, I'm doing my first Covered Bridge ride tomorrow morning. I'll ride with them again, but tonight was not the night.