Don’t push me, push a Push Pop.

I surprised a bunch of people today by NOT riding to the start of the group ride. I would be lying if I said it never crossed my mind. The ride over and back would have added 40 miles or so to this ride which, coupled with the Red Rock Loop extra credit, would have put me near to 90 miles by the end of the day. I’m pretty sure I’m not quite there yet. In addition, the plan was to hang out and visit at Born and Raised after the ride and by driving I could hang out as long as I wanted while not worrying about riding back in the heat.

The ride started off fast right out of the gate. I wanted to be toward the front to make this ride not only fun but a work out as well. I could have put in more effort and led more, but I was content to sit back and follow wheels. When I poked my head out the group was so fast I couldn’t maintain it for terribly long anyway.

Our group made really good time to the NV-159/160 intersection. After the turn, we stopped to regroup. We were waiting for a good bit before we finally saw Robert roll in. I wasn’t going to complain because the longer the break the more time for my legs to recharge. Soon enough it was time to roll out for the overlook.

Once more I made it a point to get out with the lead group. I did take a good pull from the restart with Dave hanging out beside me. As we passed the turn off to the gypsum mine processing facility I fell back and setup on someone’s wheel. We had a solid group going and I was hanging on pretty good until the final long climb before the overlook. I almost made it to the top, but my legs cracked and I said sayōnara to the group as they pulled away.

Soon enough I was pulling into the overlook and happy to get another little break. Robert had given Dave the keys to his SUV which was sitting there waiting for us with ice, water, and Gatorade. I filled up the one bottle I’d drank so far and then hung out and relaxed while we waited for everyone to come in.

Once Robert rolled in he told us we needed to do some extra credit because we were going too fast! The folks at Born and Raised weren’t expecting us until closer to 9:30 and at the rate we were going we’d be there by 8:30, maybe 9:00 at the latest. Even before Robert rolled in there was talk of a group doing the Red Rock Loop before continuing on to Born and Raised. After talking with a few guys I was talked into joining them. Thankfully I’d brought my National Parks pass along for the ride.

The ride over to and through Red Rock went well. I’m surprised I set PRs considering how slow I actually felt. I certainly wasn’t feeling like PR material, but sometimes that is just the way it goes.

At the gate at the end of the loop we regrouped before rolling on to Born and Raised. While we were mulling about everyone started talking about whether to make a stop at DFH or not. A few riders were out of water and wanted to stop to top up before continuing on. I tried to convince everyone that it was mostly downhill the remainder of the ride, but nearly everyone opted to make the stop.

As we approached DFH, Dave came up and tried to get our attention to make the turn into the Terrible’s for the stop. Henry and I let him know we were continuing on and we would see them at Born and Raised. Once onto DFH, Henry and I did a great job of taking turns on the front. I went back and reviewed the data and it is shocking to see how much of a difference there was in my heart rate. You can clearly see when I was in the lead and when I was following his wheel. Cool stuff, and I had an absolute blast. I’m sure we could have been even faster with a larger group, but the two of us did a fine job all the same.

I rolled into the parking lot of Born and Raised and made for the truck. I’d brought a clean set of clothes to change into after the ride. I have no problem hanging out in my kit, but if I’m driving home I’m going to take the time to change in order to be more comfortable while visiting. It also gave me time to cool off a little.

All freshened up, I walked over to the patio and Robert was all ready for me to start talking about my tour. He handed me the microphone and I had nothing really to say. I have a hard time just talking about it. I don’t know what people want to hear. I don’t have any inspiring thoughts or anything big like that. I’m more of a Q&A kinda guy versus a motivational speaker you could say. I did have a good time answering all the questions for sure.

I’d guess I hung out for maybe an hour before it was time to drive home. I offered Joy a ride home so she could hang out a little longer as well. Even told her I’d put her bike on the bike rack versus throwing it in the bed of the truck! I’m such a nice guy.

Overall, today was a great ride. I feel it was maybe a hair on the short side for me right now fitness wise. I was certainly feeling fatigued near the end, but I think I could have squeezed another 5-10 miles out of my legs. Despite that I’m glad to have cut it short. If I keep beating myself up on each and every ride they’ll stop being fun and before I know it I won’t want to ride at all. This way I end the day on a positive note while looking forward to the next one. I’d say that’s much better than being in a hurt locker worrying the same thing will happen again next weekend.

New bike fund: $24.68 (+$0.00)
0.15 new miles — From Wandrer.earth
144 vehicles @ 3 per mile, 0.9 per minute, Speeds: 40.2 mph (avg), 74.8 mph (max) — by MyBikeTraffic.com
Give your activities the names they deserve. — by Bandok.com
Partly sunny-Sunny, 81°F-86°F, Feels like 79°F-91°F, Humidity 30%-28%, Wind SSW 5mph-N 0mph — by Klimat.app
— myWindsock Report —
Weather Impact: -1.9%
Headwind: 73% @ 1.6-11.4mph
Longest Headwind: 52m 2s
Air Speed: 19.1mph
Temp: 80.6-88.5°F
Precip: 0% @ 0 Inch/hr
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