Return of the Dreaded

Dreaded Hill:



(There is a nice monument to Mark Reynolds at the top. He is the guy that got killed by a mountain lion in Whiting. He actually lived in the apartment complex I'm living in now.)

Just a quick post about a ride I did on Wednesday of this week. I met Joe in the parking lot near Wahoo's for our Bible study ride (only two of us showed up out of maybe 10-12 guys) and he wanted to climb Dreaded Hill. We usually do Mustard to Cactus, but he wanted something different.

I haven't been up Dreaded Hill since my accident on it almost a year ago. I have stayed away because I didn't want a repeat of the incident. Realistically though, the odds of it happening again are very, very slim.

So I went with Joe and we rode up. It was a really tough climb for me. A lot harder than I remember. It was funny because the first section felt really good, but the hill just seemed to never end. I was breathing really heavy and barely able to turn the cranks even in my lowest gear.

I made it up without stopping though ... way behind Joe.

We then went down Cactus to finish and ate and talked at Wahoo's after. I realized going down Cactus that a fatigued body makes for bad downhill. I need to catch up on some sleep and rest from riding if I want my downhill sections to be easier.