I probably shouldn't have ridden this ride feeling tired, but how many times on a day off do you get a chance to ride four hours with the weather being somewhat decent. Riding into a stronger northeast wind for 45 miles heading due north didn't really match up with the forecast from the Weather Channel this morning. It seems that the forecasts are always off by 5-10 mph every ride this spring. The climb up Rib Mountain at 45 miles seemed to be protected from the trees, but my legs were wasted and I stayed seated as I slowly made my way up the 2.5 mile climb to the turn around by the observation tower. This climb averages 6.5% with some sections hitting 8-12% near the guard rails just before the fee booth. The ride south back to town was much easier even with the wind seeming to shift and starting to come from out of the west. I again ended this training ride with a stop at my favorite cafe for a Beany Bean wrap to go and a quick smoothie to rid my taste buds of the many energy products I consumed today. It looks like I'm going to split this Spring Classic ride into a shorter route for those who don't want to ride long and climb Rib Mtn. Hopefully, this will get more cyclists out on Sunday who are still questioning fitness levels in April for this distance and the climbing that comes in the middle miles of this Spring Classic. Enough of the road bike for the next few rides with the Iola WORS XC race just a little over a week away. I need to get more time on the Epic and have some fun. I have the weekend for the WEMS 12hrs of Sugar Creek off and I want to do the race, but cannot decide between the 6hr or 12hr solo category. Any suggestions?
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