ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA
Despite breaking my collarbone last month, I am currently on the second-longest consecutive streak of daily rides with 42. I define a “ride” of at least 10 miles, although I could make exceptions in special cases like the climb up Mount Washington, which is 7.6 miles but is more intense than most 100-mile rides.
With rain forecast for all day, it looked like it was a good day for a rest. But after spending a morning in Johnstown at the library, the rain broke, and I decided to go to Altoona to ride Horseshoe Curve. On my way there, I decided to try something different – the climb up to Blue Knob Ski Resort.
I parked at the park entrance, then went down to Pavia, which I would consider the start of the five-mile climb. I got about three miles up, and I knew I was caught. The skies turned black, and within a few minutes, I was soaked. The rain was coming down very hard.
Not much to do except ride through it. I made it to the top and looked for a place for water or someone who had water. I found none. The climb was harder than I thought. Despite the consecutive days of riding, none had been intense or had been hill climbs because of my injury.
Still raining hard, I started down the road. Normally loving descents, I did not like this. Not one bit. Visibility was poor. Braking was difficult. And I was very scared about a crash that could shatter my still-healing collarbone.
But I made it safely to my car. I checked and recorded 10.1 miles. It would count. (Although I’d be OK counting less than 10 today, given the conditions. This was a bike ride.)
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