Lou gets a turn …

First ride for Lou at the cottage (June 27, 2015)

I promised to take Lou for a ride today. Rain is forecast for the early evening, so we headed out mid-day to do the route Chas and I discovered yesterday.

We started slowly. The first 2-3 km is slightly uphill so I used the climb to warm up. And then the road flattened out and we picked up the speed heading west to the big lake cutting through farm country. We were fast, averaging 35-40 kph for the first 25 km. At the mid-point, we stopped to hydrate, and de-hydrate (if you know what I mean). I said to Lou “This is fast Lou. We are making very good time. You must like this.”

Lou: “I love it! I had almost forgotten how much fun this is.”

I got back on and started the return ride. Again, there was a slight grade to start, and Lou and I used it as a warm up. We picked the speed up and were flying again. After about 5 km it became difficult to maintain the pace and I had to gear down. I said to Lou “I went out to fast and have run out of gas.”

Lou: “You are getting old Big Guy.”

It got harder and harder. Had I bonked? We had only been out for less than an hour. Then I realized we were heading into a strong wind. The bad weather was coming from the east, and the system was preceded by strong winds. Winds gusting to 70 kph at times. When Lou and I would hit 20 kph we thought we were going fast. It was tough. Like climbing a mountain. Only worse. Wind is unrelenting. At least with a climb you know there is a summit, and a fast descent ahead.

Lou: “It gave me time to enjoy the scenery. I had forgotten how beautiful it is here.”

When we finally got back to the cottage, I was spent. It was the shortest but hardest ride I had done all week. Wind is a good test of your metal. The key is to not let it get you down. Gear down, drop on the bars, and keep a steady, consistent pace.

Lou: “That was the best ride I have had in 2 weeks.”