I have been absent from running this week, bicycling too. I thought I would miss them but I didn’t. If left to the whims of my lazy self, I would probably never exercise again so I decided that today was a good day to put an end to this relaxed state of mind.
Mid morning, John and I loaded our bikes and drove to Old Walland Road in Blount county, a rode favored by local bicyclists. The road is as flat as one can find in the foothills area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and follows the Little River. Farms, cabins and forest line both sides of the road providing ever changing scenery.
We started pedaling slow, drifing between 13-14 mph and riding directly into a brisk wind. I rode in front so John would not pedal off and leave me (did I mention that we are totally mismatched in speed, strength and experience?). I felt the usual nervous twitch in the pit of my stomach, a no confidence vote for my legs. About 3 miles into the ride, John dropped the “F” word, Foothills Parkway. I think he said it as a joke because he knows I am not a strong climber and the Parkway begins with a steep 3 mile climb. But recently I have been thinking about using hills to develop leg strength and I surprised us both when I muttered under my breath OKAY!
We had another mile to the Hwy 321 turnoff and John asked me no less than 3 times if I was sure I wanted to do this. I knew I could stop at one of the first scenic stops and wait for John to ride as far as he wanted, so I kept saying yes. In no time, we were at the base of the mountain, adjusting our gears for the effort ahead.
The climb started out strong. My pace slowed to 4.5-5.5 mph as I crawled up the mountain. John stayed behind me, yelling to warn me before cars passed. The road was not as busy as I expected for an October afternoon and I was very happy about that. About 1 mile into the climb, my legs were still feeling good and I realized that our goal of 3 miles up was a real possibility.
Time passed quickly and as the first and second scenic stops flew by on our left, I knew I could reach the 3 mile goal. I didn’t spend a lot of time studying the fall colors along the way, I was focused on staying close to the edge, but not so close my tires would slide off the pavement. Suddenly, just beyond the next curve, our turn around point appeared. I had made it!
We stopped, took a few pictures and tried hard not too be broken hearted about a stray, but friendly dog that had obviously been abandoned here. No way we could tie him to our bikes and take him home.
Soon it was time for the ride back to the car. I surprised myself by being so frightened of the downhill. I pumped my brakes to keep my speed low. John told me I was faster on the flats than the downhill. He finally passed me and disappeared around the curves as I tried to manage my speed around 18-20 mph. My hands hurt from clutching the brakes and handlebar and I thought I would have a meltdown before I arrived at the bottom. Luckily the ride down goes a whole lot faster than the ride up and we were back to Hwy 321 in some 10 minutes or less.
The wind was fierce on the ride back to the car. John took the lead and told me to “hang on” to the back of him. Last weekend on the SMW ride, I learned about the benefits of drafting, not only can I go faster, but I can also coast some to rest my legs, almost like a tow. Our return ride flew by with John pushing me to keep up at an 18 mph.
We rode a little over 20 miles and I feel great about the effort.
Cornfields at the beginning of Old Walland Road. In the distance are the rolling foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
John at the turnaround on the Foothills Parkway
Me at the turn around in one of John’s cycling jerseys (with a wind jacket stuffed in the back pocket), my hiking shirt and my running shorts. It is a mixed look for sure. Eventually I will update.
