Sunday, April 30, 2006

Wow, you can coast the downhills


Well, the three days of the Northwest Crank have come and gone and I have to say, I had a good time. My butt didn't bother me as much as I had feared and my neck didn't get too terribly sore. However, my lower back got very tight (reminder to self - CORE EXERCISES!!) and my feet actually hurt from time to time due to the stiff shoes and no foot flexing.

The first day was quite warm with highs in the mid-eighties and there was quite a bit of climbing. I found I could climb pretty strongly on a bike, but bonked on the last ascent to the ski area at Mission Ridge. Coasting down at up to 42 mph was a hoot.

Day two called for 100 miles (day one was 80). However, at about 60 miles, Desmond was flagging and we could either go straight and reach the car in about half a mile or turn right and head uphill for 19+ miles. We chose the car, immediately followed by the purchase of beer, chips and salsa. GOOD CHOICE.

Day three was a trip from East Wenatchee up Hwy 97A to Lake Chelan, via a side spur about 28 miles in. The two trips officially recognized were either 76 miles or 125 miles. We modified the longer route; eliminating a couple of out and back sections and ended up with ~90 miles for the day. Several other riders followed our example, so we felt we simply offered a good third alternative.

Bottom line - met some nice people, had a good time. More photos from the ride can be found under my albums link.

3 comments:

Olga said...

Sheesh, "coasting downhill was a hoot??!!". I would have died from heart attack before I died from colliding with the road! Glad you had fun.

Tony C said...

Glad you had a good time ... no pounding on the legs either!

What are you going to do as far as training for the Watershed run? *tc

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday Kendall. I saw your name on todays ultra list birthdays.