Sub 22 OLH

Went out for a ride this AM and included going up Old La Honda for the first time in 2-3 years probably. I met the group coming down from the city at the top of Jefferson, having skipped the 6:15 AM rollout to take Caltrain to RWC.

Frankly I felt pretty crappy from Monday's ride and not really taking it easy on Tuesday, so I was being a bit of dread. A really slow time would piss me off.

Found the group and we made it to the hill. I took off at the bottom but it just didn't feel right. There were several spots where I really felt like just giving up and crawling to the top, never really felt any snap. I pushed it in the flat section in the middle and into the first set of steep bits between there and the redwoods, and was punished for this. I was really reduced to crawling around the two "Upenuf" roads. Just felt crappy and slow.

Using the Garmin as a timer and relying on Strava for the update, meant riding the rest of the way home without knowing the result. And of course then it started to rain. Brooks, Thorpe, Beckett and myself slogged up to Page Mill, then Thorpe and I rode to 9. I was feeling very skittish about the braking and the wet roads so I took it very easy down the first half of Highway 9, then started to (A) Warm up and (B) feel the traction wasn't so bad, and picked it up a bit - it would have been fun if it wasn't so cold. From Saratoga to work was an exercise in hypothermia.

Got a Hot Chocolate, a shower, and some food, then went to get the "bad news".

Old La Honda - (Bridge to Mailboxes) 21:52

Once upon a time I set a goal of getting up in under 22 minutes, and if I could do it, I would buy myself a Seven. Coming off the Memorial Day ride - 350 miles in 4 days, then a day off on Monday and Tuesday, I went up on a Wednesday with perfect temperatures and nice rest, and summited in exactly 22 minutes. I rode down the hill, right to the bike shop, pointed at a Seven and said "I want one of those".

Today, cold, wet, annoyed, tired, unsnappy, underslept, at 8:30 AM, I went up 8 seconds faster. I won't complain. I doubt I'm under 20 minutes in perfect conditions but I won't jump in the grave yet.