Four months in

YTD – 870.62
MTD – 131.46
Friday – 16.66

I “celebrated” four months of riding with a cold, hard ride to Corydon Pike via Budd/Highwater lane. I reviewed Tim’s map of this ride and decided I liked how he dealt with the wacky intersection of Hwy 111 and Indiana 62. He went around it. Me too, and I liked the result. One of the surprising things that eluded me in four months of riding was a dog chase. Granted, that was fine by me but considering the amount of Indiana back roads I ride it’s surprising. I panted to the top of the first rise on Budd Road and there it was – some sort of Husky looking dog who came haul-assin’ out into the street to give chase. I dropped gears, stood up, and stomped it. I am pleased to report that I quickly lost his interest. I actually saw another one about a mile later that looked the same. It wisely yielded to its still marked electric fence.

This ride can be a tough one for an hour and I was definitely feeling the impact of the cold and the wind. From Highwater Road to the Edwardsville climb is a slow steady climb and my speed fell into the range of 11-12 mph. It is a little daunting that the climb begins around 7 miles in and I thinking – I’m already a little tired and it’s all in front of me.

I made it up and around just fine. As I descended I even went into the drop portion of the handlebars to see if I could get some of the wind out of my eyes. I find it hard to keep my eyes from watering and I even wear glasses. I had gotten pretty hot by the time I reached the top of the hill, but the ridge line ride cooled me back down and I never recovered any warmth. By the time I made it back I was quite ready to hit the hot shower.

So here’s to my longest exercise regiment ever. Hopefully for many miles to come.

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