Peak to Trough

Yesterday was one of my worst days on the bike. It felt like my first day riding. I’m still mulling how or why it happened.

As I’ve written previously, now that the SIG is over I need to find my own weekend rides. My preference is to ride with friends/people I already know. But the New York Cycle Club has ride listings posted every day (by people who volunteer to lead them). Yesterday I decided to do a recurring NYCC ride I’ve tried once before. It’s a hilly 62 miles starting with River Road and continuing into the Nyack/Piermont area.

I have a true love/hate relationship with River Road. It is my cycling nemesis. It is arguably the most beautiful ride experience near NYC. The road runs along the NJ side of the Hudson River and is carved out of the Palisades rock. The views are awesome, as is the foliage – at times you feel like you are riding through Jurassic Park. Here’s the rub. It’s an incredibly hilly road and you don’t really get much of a warmup beforehand considering it starts right over the GWB. It’s pretty much a nightmare for cyclists like me who need a nice long warmup before tackling hills.

I broke off after we completed 20 miles (just after finishing River Road). I think I pushed it too hard on one of the hills and “bonked” early on. Every pedal stroke was feeling like a struggle and I had no power in my legs. I decided to just ride around NY/NJ for a while. I went to Piermont to visit the bicycle shop there. I then rode to a bagel shop about 10 miles away in NJ. I doubled back to Piermont and up to Nyack and rode along a trail that is right next to the Hudson – very pretty.

In retrospect, continuing my ride after I felt bad initially was a mistake physically and mentally. I took route 501 home into a huge headwind. I was hurting. Then some jerk comes up behind me and starts drafting my wheel. I can barely pedal and someone is using me to their benefit. It was too much to take. I broke off and climbed a long hill to 9W in order to shake him.

As I was riding on the west shoulder of 9W heading south a tan car going 90-100mph came up from behind and passed the car on my left. It was the one lane section of 9W so he passed by heading into oncoming traffic. It struck me as strange at first but I didn’t pickup on the magnitude of the situation until several cop cars also doing 90-100mph came whizzing up as well. About a mile up I saw 10 or so cop cars stopped on the side of the road. I smelled burnt rubber and plastic. The suspect’s car was up on the grass on the west side of the road. The front of the car was completely smashed in and the airbag was engaged. Somehow the driver was able to get away from the car and was on the loose in the woods. The cops were trying frantically to contain the area. It was a full-on manhunt reminiscent of the move Fugitive. Cop cars were blaring up and down 9W. It was bedlam. I’m still trying to figure out what happened. I struggled home and looked at my odometer – 70 miles ridden. I collapsed on my bed and am still struggling a bit physically today.

It amazes me how I had my best and worst days of cycling back-to-back. I can’t do the A training laps tomorrow morning. My spirit is too broken. I’m going to rest a few days and then do a long ride on Wednesday in preparation for next weekend.