cough

i've never encountered more stinky trucks on a ride, ever. as i was coming up the arse end of bunker hill i thought "finally, a hill with no stinky trucks." then i thought that i should not think such things, but i thought i was in the clear and thought it anyways. well, the joke was on me. right at the top, a sewer sucker. ugh.

and then some stinky-ass suburban on my final incline to flea street. double ugh, this one was just some asshole, not even a construction truck.

lately, instead of counting sheep to get to sleep, i visualize pedaling in circles. not only does it help me sleep, it helps me pedal. last night i also tried thinking up names for the route that i imagined last week. i came up with: Hill-U Kill-U.

well, today i wasn't ready for Hill-U Kill-U, most probably because last night I drove up hillsdale to refresh my memory of its steepness. since it's a prominent climb in Hill-U Kill-U, i decided to wait until i'm more ready.

today on my ride, I decided its name was Hill O'Ridely. the ride is fractal: it is nasty, brutish, and short, as are each of its climbs (with the exception of ralston). i have no idea if bill-O is short.

anyhow, the route: up crystal springs to flea street, up parrot, down de anza to hillsdale, down hillsdale, up flea street, up ralston, down ralston trail, over horseshit bridge, up the arse end of bunker hill, and home. 2222 feet of climb, 17 miles.

surprisingly, ralston was easy! i guess 8% doesn't seem like much of a climb after a bunch of 15%-ers, or maybe it was because i hadn't already racked up 2000 feet of climb and 45 miles. now, i suppose i didn't push too hard on any of them, and kept myself mostly aerobic. still working on my training goals, whatever they are. importantly: i had fun. also: i didn't get killed.