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| Photo by Joyce W. |
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| Grrr! The "P" stands for PILLAGE! Photo by Lucia |
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| Photoshop Merge did something terrible to Kevin. Yikes! |
I started out early to get some miles in before the start of our Viking adventure. I found I couldn't pack as many canned goods and sundries on the bike as I had hoped to donate to the food bank. I stayed for the picnic afterwards and indulged in meats of many sorts. I don't eat meat often, but this seemed a day (when one is dressed in fur and sporting horns) one should tear into the flesh of animals. Ride organizer Lucia made a wonderful cactus salad, I loved it and may have to seek out a local Mexican bodega to find some pickled cactus and make a batch of my own!
When I left the picnic and started towards base, I was suddenly terribly fatigued. I could barely get beyond 7MPH. I had 6 miles to go, I'd have to tough this out. I labored on and at the crest of the Fort Pitt bridge, too exhausted to make the turn properly, I caught my right handlebar on one of the the bridge's I-beams at the awkward left hook. Down we went. I knocked my left forearm on the other side of the bridge, the same exact spot that still has a hard knot/hematoma from the railroad tracks fall in January. Two gentlemen who were walking towards me, came rushing to see if I was OK. I was fine, just horribly embarrassed. We laughed it off and went on my way. I now see the importance of bike naps.
I was also surprised to learn I could ride the entire day in a long, ankle-length skirt and not need a skirt guard, nothing got caught on the wheel or chain.
A wonderful 25 mile day with friends, great weather and making strangers smile as we passed.
You know, the right time to stop and rest is always: now, right now. And I wonder if you weren't dehydrated, trying to manage your rest room availablility. Velocio would have urged you to sit, drink, and nap. Do you know of Velocio's Rules? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_de_Vivie
ReplyDeleteI think your outfit could catch on. It would certainly give motorists something to consider!
ReplyDeleteCan you get jelly tots where you live? They are a sugar sweet (not gelatine) aimed at small children. I always keep a bag with me when I ride. As soon as I start feeling as you describe I rip off the corner of the bag and pour them down my throat. Not particularly healthy and probably not in any of the rules. But jolly nice and quite effective, too!
Thanks TSR, I think this was more of a water issue as VB suggested rather than a blood sugar incident. I'm notoriously bad at drinking sufficiently especially when bathrooms are in short supply. Sadly, I was out of water and running late for dinner. No time to rest or drink. Funny thing is, I nodded off a few times in the restaurant that evening. So, I eventually got my nap.
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