I rode Cardiac Hill again this weekend (Sunday, March 18th). I got rained on, hailed on, and blown around. It seemed to take forever for me to hit my stride and I don’t feel like I rode very strong at all, but I got to the top of the hill again. I did have a few moments of brilliance … well, maybe not quite brilliance, but … let’s just say some moments were stronger than others and I managed to keep smiling even when my legs just did not seem to have any power in them Sunday.
Yes, the wind is an excellent training tool, but at times wind is to me as kryptonite is to Superman.
The important thing is that I stuck it out, even while getting pelted with BB-sized hail and cold rain. Actually, it was kind of exciting.
It started raining and the wind kicked up when I hit the top of the dam at the Napa-Solano County line. I continued on towards Markley Cove, which pretty much marks the start of Cardiac Hill. Today was a slow ride, but I made it to the top. I know that this hill isn’t that big of a deal to more accomplished cyclists, but for me … I’m working on getting stronger again, so it’s a big deal to me. I’m getting some very positive encouragement from one very accomplished cyclist in particular, and that means a lot to me.
When I was about halfway between the dam and Markley Cove it started hailing. The very first time I rode up this way, probably in 2007-2008 (on my Klein mountain bike fitted with slick tires for the road), I experienced similar weather, so that was kind of a fun ride down memory lane.
On my way back down the hill, I hit a big pothole. BAM! It just seemed to jump out of nowhere, if you know what I mean. I didn’t see it in time to avoid it, but in just enough time to be aware of it. I was quite happy to not fly over the handlebars, lose balance, or end up with a flat. Quite relieved indeed.
The weather was nice for a while and I stopped to take a few photos of Lake Berryessa. The sky was quite dramatic; these pictures don’t quite capture how stunning it really was. There weren’t many boats on the lake, and there weren’t many trucks hauling boats to the lake, either. That certainly made for a more pleasant and safer ride!
On my way back down towards Lake Solano, the rain and hail started again. Woo hoo! I stopped for just a moment at Lake Solano to grab a couple of photos. You can see in the photos that the road was still wet from the rain.
Then I headed back Pleasants Valley Road to Putah Creek Road and on to Winters. Just a few miles out of Winters my riding partner caught up with me and we rode back together. Yeah, caught up with me. Haha! I could leave it at that, but I suppose that would be deceptive. Well, he did ride a lot further out than I did. There was no way I was going to keep up with him so he rode ahead and then met me on the way back, which worked out perfectly. Funny thing … he did not get hailed on at all, but just got a few sprinkles.
I’m looking forward to more cycling adventures soon!
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