Set out on a ride. It was a beautiful day for cycling. Weather featured a clear and crisp morning with a slight wind from the north. The route started in Forest Grove looped back to Hillsboro and then set out for the Oregon coast on state highway 6. The slight breeze was a bit of a stiff wind in places, but “oh my, what a beautiful day.”
For once I was not riding alone, Greta Olson seemed to have a compatible pace and we pedaled together. Oddly enough a lot of riders passed us. For some reason navigation problems were the order of the day and many people who’d gone off route ended up behind us temporarily.
Highway 6 is a great road for cyclists. It’s busy on a fine weather weekend day as people stream to the coast. But the shoulders are ample, the trees beautiful and the views of the river that flows beside it stunning. From Forest Grove to the summit there is about 1,300 feet of climbing, with a concentrated grade in the last two miles to the summit. After the summit a cyclist is treated to a 30 mile descent to sea level. There is not a mile in those 30 without a section with a down slope. Even with a stiff breeze from the west one can bomb along at a good pace. At the end of this is five miles of pavement so smooth that even with the headwind I was rolling along three miles an hour faster than my normal pace.
A brief jog through Tillamook and one can turn towards the Three Capes loop, a scenic road. The first few miles along side Tillamook bay had me wishing I were a sailor or wind surfer. A strong offshore breeze (15 or 20 mph) provided bayside challenge for my cycling. It was here where I began to reap the fruits of my lack of cycling earlier in the year. My right knee, which had been irritating for the last 30 miles or so became downright painful.
On the plus side the wind, through my headwind infused commute, no longer carries an emotional burden. It’s just a normal part of riding, like darkness and rain. It was also nice to miss out on my typical 80 mile emotional dip. This I attribute to diligent eating. Some have observed that emotional lows on a long bike ride are a sign of hunger. I’m inclined to agree, and this ride supports the theory.
Turning south, with the wind at my back I headed for Netarts. At this point the knee discomfort became debilitating. I walked. While free spinning on down hill stretches my knee complained. I could make the knee feel OK by not bending it. The ibuprofen I’d taken wasn’t having an effect. Yow.
At Netarts Greta, who had mechanical problems and called for a ride at the summit, found me just before I stopped for a break at a brevet control. After talking over possible solutions to the knee issue with (very experienced rider) Susan France I made the decision to end my ride here.
86 miles, lots of great views, lots of wind in my face, it was a nice day on the bike.
Postscript: One special feature of the ride was repairing my riding glasses with toothpicks.
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