Originally posted by Tarantula
I had one of those rides on Sunday. The club I belong to rides one of the mountain roads (paved) every couple of months. I do it to gauge my fitness. It gives me some credibility to go on to the next level of riding. The ride is only 40 miles, but the first 24 are hills, big hills. There are several 2 mile stints that are 7 to 12% grades.
Last May I did the ride with my double (39X27) and did pretty good. I stopped a couple of times to get the heart rate down, but pretty much plugged away to the top and reaped the downhill rewards afterwards.
Sunday was a different story. I had an off day. My butt dragged up the hill. I tried to stay in my new triple (30X23) when I would get fatigued . I thought that would help me recover. I don't think anything would have helped. I made it to the top along side the 2 club slowpokes. Their nice guys, always finnish, supportive, but I was distraught.
When I got back to the car my depression took over and I decided that I was through. I packed away my bike, thinking that I was not worthy. I took off my jersey and shoes and put them neatly beside the bicycle that I knew I would never ride again. The drive home was quiet, subdued and contemplative. I had thoughts of my next endeavor, racquetball, tennis, fishing. All good sports, but they don't excite me. I was not looking forward to the dark, post cycling days that loomed ahead.
I had a fitful sleep that night and the next morning Bill called and wanted to know if I would ride the Los Alamos ride with him. We rode. We had coffee. I love my bicycle. It was just an off day.
Are you always that hard on yourself? You should ride because you love it, not where you finish compared to others.