Day 56 – Pay Attention

Another perfect day of weather – low 80’s, low humidity, sunshine all day, and a slight wind - mostly to my back.  I biked 85.5 miles from Glenville, KY to White Mills, KY.  The roads were in good condition, mostly shoulderless, but with mostly light traffic.

I was little upset with myself over the course of the day.  I had a relatively short day yesterday and prior to that, two days off.  I should have a lot of energy, but most of the day I felt just a little more fatigued than I could account for.  Upon reviewing the day’s statistics, I felt much better about everything.  Over the course of the day I had climbed a gross elevation of 5,290 feet, just a couple feet short of my record day.  No wonder I felt so tired at the end of the day.  I knew the hills were longer and more frequent than yesterday, but I did not realize to that degree.

Speaking of hills, there were quite a few of them and they were long.  Most were not very steep so they did not wind me.  Much.  Around mile 70 I had just turned on to a new road.  It was narrow with no shoulder, but also no cars.  It felt more like a bike path than a road.  It looked fun and it was scenic.  The road was winding, there were a lot of hills (mostly short), and was sometimes topped with a canopy of trees.  I was getting a little lackadaisical as I approached a beautiful tree covered descent.  It looked a little steeper than most today.  This should be fun.  Almost instantly I was going 35 plus mph and I realized the road was about to make a tight turn to the right.  A really tight turn.  Almost a u-turn.  I squeezed my back brakes, but they did not slow me down much.  I tentatively squeezed my front brakes being careful not to squeeze too hard.  Before I could put together another thought I was across the road, riding a fine line between staying on the tar and tumbling into the woods.  The road was rough, the vibration fierce.  I was focused on keeping my bike upright and on the road, and doing my best to slow it down.  In my peripheral vision I could see something from my bike bouncing across the road as I continued to careen down the hill.

Finally, I brought the bike to a stop at the bottom of the hill.  I have no idea how I avoided a crash.  It was probably only a few seconds and it was all a blur.  As I collected my thoughts I scanned my bike for damage.  The bike seemed fine.  What was it I thought was falling off my bike?  Then I noticed.  The small storage bag attached to the front of my bike was open.  The vibration from the ride must have popped it open.  I took inventory – cash, credit card, drivers license, angel Jane gave me still there.  Missing – eye glasses and case, iPod Nano, pepper spray, and my cell phone.  Shoot – not my cell phone.  I slowly began the walk back up the hill.  One-by-one I found my missing items.  They were scattered across the road and along side it.  I found everything and miraculously it all still worked.  All I really cared about was the cell phone.  It was beat up, glass chipped slightly, but it works.  Lesson learned – pay attention!  Always!

Abandoned

One of the roads I biked today.