2 May 2009

I will recap April in a bit, but I'll start out with my beginning of May. My brother and I, in our prepping for AOMM wanted to ride in the mountains today, hopefully the ride from Marion, NC to the top of Mt. Mitchell. Weather didn't look so good, so we instead went to Greenville, SC to work out on Paris Mountain. We'd never ridden it before, but heard alot about it from those who ride alot in the upstate. Sorta hoped to bump into Hincapie, but it was not to be. Had a great time though. Rode up to the towers and back to the bottom of Altamont Rd. and met a guy who rides PM regularly; asked him about the other side of the mountain and we were told that, in comparison, this side was like stairs, where you get a little break every so often. The other side (coming back up) was just 3 miles of incline! So, we climbed back up and down the other side we went! It was a gas going down! What a chore coming back up! I made it though, without EVER stopping to take a break. I am pleased with the rider I am slowly becoming. Two years ago, I would not have attempted or dreamed of three trips up PM. Ended up with 31+ miles and over 3600 feet of climbing. Way to go!
So, back to April. I made the mistake of not setting a goal for myself, as I had the previous three months, and I only got in 233 miles. My year was off to a great start and I did over 500 miles in the month of March. With that lesson learned, I will set a goal for May of 500 miles. That could be easy or it could be hard. I'll do AOMM on the 18th, giving me 100+ miles, but I will rest most of the week prior to and a couple of days of recovery post-ride; so I will have to be aware of my riding time.
I wanted earlier (days ago) to post some pictures of White Oak Mountain but didn't have them, so I'll put a few in now. The wife and I took a day off to spend together and I took her up to show her where I had been riding. Got some photos along the way; easier to do in a car, when I am not hacking up a lung. Enjoy!
Be blessed, be safe.