September 30, 2019
A good day on the bike
M2C Hickory - Spencer metric +
it was a very good day on the bike. The ride from Hickory to Spencer was uneventful. As we are heading to the coast, we are losing elevation. It's not as simple as that though. We happen to be in the North Carolina Piedmont with gently rolling Hills. We lost about 300 feet in above sealevel elevation.
It's a different story today for me. Today's elevation gain was 2,700 feet to drop that 300 feet. The elevation was mostly short uphills followed by a nice long descent. The final five miles into Spencer was uphill. The good news is that I only was off the bike and walked two hundred feet. I handled the hills pretty handily. I must say I am proud of myself being a chubby old guy. Greg even remarked that I was riding strong.
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I started the day a little leery from my heat exhaustion and cramping yesterday. I spent the evening giving that some thought. I was severely lacking in hydrating myself. I also did not do very well in eating properly or enough during the ride. Those two factors combined to make yesterday not the best ride at all.
I cracked that barrier today hydrating myself at every rest stop and in between. I made sure to have a good balance of carbs and protein. My lunch in Troutman was at a local barbecue diner. I treated myself to a good old fashioned North Carolina barbecue sandwich. It hit the spot. I ended today not exhausted at all. I had no cramps. Today is a lesson that you have to pay attention to your mind and feed your body as it's needed. I did that and I handled that 2,700 feet with no problems.
Greg and I finished the day taking a trolley to nearby Salisbury and a local brewery. It was an excellent evening with farm-to-table food and good brews. We drank and died with a couple new friends and two friends we had already met on the ride. A good time was had by all.
Good night from the Tarheel state.
Today's ride: 66 miles (106 km)
Total: 128 miles (206 km)
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