Cookies….
So, today was my first day back on my bike since I’ve been sick. Instead of riding with the BBKings this morning which I expected would had killed me from the 1 hour Mulholland climb back up from the beach, I decided to ride with Agoura this morning and take it easy?! I decided to ride the long route since I wanted to get 100 miles in today and tomorrow. (Ha! I laugh at this thought now…) Rock Store to Decker to Hidden Valley over Portrero then back to start. Uhhh……right…!
I started with the group and kept up just fine. I was actually surprised that I was able to keep up. Not the last one this time surprisingly! I was even feeling good about myself - having taken 2 weeks off from biking, then first day back, I was able to keep up with the group. We even hit the Rock Store climb and I felt good at the bottom of the hill. I continued to drink my water and my Cytomax mix (a new one for me… I was out of my Nuun tablets, so decided to try this powder). Then just after the first 8% grade turn about 1/3 of the way up, I started to bonk! What the…. my calves started to feel like there were needles poking them and I started feeling lightheaded, so I got off my bike, then… UGH! I tossed my cookies over the side railing. Actually, my oatmeal and blackberries that I had for breakfast. First thought = WTF… I’ve done this hill gazillion times, I shouldn’t be bonking, much less throwing up from climbing this hill!
So, I sat on the side of the road for a few minutes trying to get myself back together. Another cyclist stopped to ask if I needed anything. I told him to tell the group ahead at the top that I was turning back because I just threw up. I texted RL to tell her that I was turning back, then descended back down. About 15 minutes later, the law prof that started the ride with me came back down to check on me. And he told me that the guy who cllimbed up to tell the group that I was turning back told them that I was “on the side of the road, throwing up with ‘morning sickness’”. Ha! Very funny, considering that is impossible!
Now I’m home and trying figure out what exactly made me throw up. Could it be that I haven’t ridden in 2 weeks and Rock Store was just too hard of a climb? I didn’t think so… Could it be the Cytomax mix that I was sipping (that stuff is really sweet, btw)? Could it be that I didn’t eat enough for dinner last night? Combination of everything? I want to say that it was the combination of Cytomax and not eating enough last night… but who knows. Before I got sick, I was actually considering climbing up Decker from the Westlake side, because I had done an 18% grade at Cold Canyon while on my ride down Piuma a few weeks ago. With all the riding that I was doing, I was feeling confident enough to push it up Decker. Well… Not anymore… My Cytomax packets are now in the trash can, and I’m eating a bowl full of pasta and tofu immediately… Maybe I can do an easy ride tomorrow morning with RL.. maybe go up Portrero.
Sigh… I guess I’ll have to start building my endurance back up… again. Very frustrated that the Rock Store hill kicked my butt this morning. I will be back very soon…
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