900927 0840 900722 1310 The Puke Zone Went for a ride with Elaine and Cindy just now (22 July 90). Elaine rode 300K yesterday, was looking for a warm-down. I sort of wanted a workout, but took off willing to take it as it came. Foggy and cool in Berkeley, wore tights and windbreaker, rode the aero bike. I wore my NY jersey for the first time in over a year - Elaine turned up in hers too. Decided to do the Bears. Fun and games through El Sobrante and out Castro Ranch. I peeled my windbreaker at a light in El Sobrante and my tights on the hill on Castro Ranch. I was rolling through the country down on the aeros, Elaine grabbed my saddle and Cindy grabbed hers and we rode that way for a couple miles. Elaine was out front about not hurrying. Cindy was non-committal, although she talked about concentrating on her swimming and not wanting to exert too much on the bike. But you always have to remember that Cindy is a real competitor. Whereas I sometimes have trouble making myself catch a wheel, I think she has trouble letting one go by. Cindy and I climbed Baby Bear side by side at a reasonable pace, talking about this and that, Elaine slid back, we waited at the top. I did a little hammer over Mama Bear, they both dropped back, I waited at the bottom. Starting up Papa Bear, Elaine started talking about timing us and egging us on. I got out of the saddle in the 54, which is the smallest gear on Brink's bike, and "walked" up with my hands on the brake hoods, sort of easy. I hadn't decided to go for it, but with that gear, I have to stand or else it's a struggle. Elaine started to slide back and Cindy stationed herself on my wheel. I rolled easily for a minute or two and then upped the effort a bit, still walking easily but with a bit of lift on the back stroke. I was starting to breathe. Cindy was still there. I had been going along at a pace which it seemed I could continue indefinitely. But as frequently happens, suddenly I couldn't continue at all, let alone indefinitely. I sat down a couple hundred yards from the top to reconsider and regroup. Cindy was still there. It is work to turn that 54 on that hill! After a few seconds, I decided to go for it. I thought better of picking a bigger gear and just stood on the 54. I had a half-conscious guess that it wasn't more than 30 seconds to the top and I charged into the puke zone. Dizzy, legs hurt, lungs hurt, sat again for a few seconds, stood back up, carbonated legs, heart skipping beats. Cindy finally dropped off, I stayed on it. I collapsed a few yards before the top, couldn't maintain the maximum effort, struggled over. Gasp and groan. Cindy came up and said something but I couldn't hear or ask her to repeat. I circled back, still out of control and struggling, to wait for Elaine. She came over the top and kept going towards the second little summit. Cindy grabbed her wheel, I couldn't make myself want to close the 20 yard gap and rode along behind. We regrouped at the bottom of Papa Bear. Elaine and Cindy decided to ride back the flats, I went up Wildcat. It had been a good ten minutes since the big effort, but Wildcat was a still a bit of a struggle on that 54 even at an easy pace. I had nothing left in my legs, I had left it all on Papa Bear.