Hellyer Bike Ride

Returning to my ongoing recap of last summer's rides, the next major excursion I was a party to was the Hellyer Run with Kris and Rich. This 30 mile ride took us from Coyote Hellyer County Park to Anderson Lake County Park and back by way of the Coyote Creek Parkway.

Though we attempted to depart early, by the time we reached the staging area at Hellyer it was approaching midday. Although it was pretty hot, we felt fine cruising along the paved parkway trail. But by the time we stopped at Anderson Lake for lunch, we were all feeling the heat. Thankfully, ample amounts of shade and water were available there.

Feeling somewhat refreshed, we started out on the 15 mile return trip. No more than two miles into the return trip, we all started struggling. You see, in addition to the now stifling heat and slight incline, the whole trip back is into the wind. By now we were all working hard and feeling tremendously uncomfortable.

At this point, Kris and I (and to a lesser degree, Rich) arranged ourselves in a line and started trying to draft. For a little while we all took turns pulling at the front. But I was beginning to tire, so Kris took a few extra turns. After one of those long turns, Kris was fading a bit; so I tried to take the lead. I started cramping as I passed Kris. After that it seemed clear that I would do no better than limp back.

We stopped a handful of times during those first few miles back (where the wind is strongest). Between the triple digit heat and my cramping, I felt awful. Mercifully, the wind subsided about half way back to Hellyer. Rich and I were cruising along slowly, just thankful that we didn't have to fight the wind anymore. But Kris had an abundance of energy left and took off. He must have led us by a half mile most of the way back.

Kris eventually let us catch up. I was feeling a little bit better; but it was still a big struggle. I just wanted to get back to the car as soon as possible. So I spent what little strength I had left in an effort to return quickly. I wasn't very fast, but Kris didn't chase me down. I arrived at the car first; whereupon I put down my bike and fell in the nearby grass. A minute or two later Rich joined me. We didn't move much for some minutes thereafter. Amazingly, Kris still seemed fresh at the end of it.

The jerseys:
I suppose I got the stage win, but I didn't deserve it. Kris let me have it. Kris wins both the Sprinter's jersey and the Most Agressive Rider for taking over the ride. The hills were minimal and there were no King of the Mountains points.