Spring training is just that. Training. It isn’t necessarily fun, it is fraught with challenges, the weather is iffy at best, and it hurts.
Alex and I went out yesterday for about a 50 mile ride. It was a cold day, about 40 degrees or so. We started later than expected. Just 5 miles out, Alex falls in some road scree, and I crash in to him. We both go do down. Battered, bruised and nothing broken, we recollect our belongings scattered across the road, check the bikes, and saddle up.
From here on we were slower, more careful, and rightfully so. The roads are terrible this winter. Pot holes that you would need a ladder to climb out of, completely eroded shoulders, limbs and trees sticking in to the road from the recent storms. It was a challenge to say the least. Drivers were less considerate than I have seen in a long time, buzzing us too close, honking or yelling. It was almost miserable.
Nearing the end, I was spent. We had a bit of climbing to go, and my battered and bruised body was refusing to cooperate. We got back later than I thought we would, and with numb toes from the cold, I got in the shower only to discover that the hot water wasn’t working. Oh, great, a cold shower after a cold hard ride. An hour or so later, hot water is fixed, I am warm and laying on the couch, the crash pain and the difficult ride setting in.
I doesn’t sound fun, right? But it is spring training. Those 55 miles will go a long way towards success later in the year. New York this time of year is known to be cold and damp. With another Nor’easter on the way tomorrow, I hope the roads are clear for next weekend. I might need a different route though, one with less traffic.
Cycling in NY 