In the Mile High City this afternoon & I intended to get out for a little spin to loosen the legs from a long day. Where I intended to turnaround came so quickly that I decided to make a little loop out of it; around the airport grounds - though as I knew it's a big airport.
The turnoff for the short loop that I had previewed on Goggle maps turned out to be all gravel so I continued eastbound until I could turn south (HWY 79). This resulted in doubling my distance with the bonus (a PruDog fav) of 5-6ish miles of gravel anyway - I wasn't about to go explore another route at that point. Up until the gravel road segment I was averaging slightly over 20 MPH and the dirt portion significantly slowed that. And if you ever need some motivation mumbling the words to the Jackson Brown hit actually helped keep me focused & running down the road (which then had me mumbling Eagles lyrics).
The epic part of this isn't the total time out (3:40) or the distance (70.5) but the fact that I had only 1 large bottle of H2O, 1 CLIF bar, and 1 gel packet. The route was so desolate that, besides some farms, there weren't any stops to rehydrate or refuel until nearing the Hot L; so I had to fend with what I had. I also turned off my little handlebar light most of the way (except when the rare car came screaming by) to enjoy the darkness & solitude miles from nowhere.
I came back on fumes - but what a great ride.
If history is any guide from previous long rides - this'll only improve my chances in AUS on Saturday (though I'll again be struggling to acclimate to the inevitable heat & humidity). If I get through the Old Guy race in the AM in good shape perhaps I'll jump in the CAT 2/3 race at Noon; we'll see.
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