One of my favorite rides is Blacksmith Fork Canyon. If I leave from my house the loop is a little bit more than 40 miles most of which is in the canyon. During the summer it is a little bit cooler than the rest of the valley and the scenery is always beautiful. Now that I am back into riding a bit more I was smart enough to take sufficient food which meant that I didn’t bonk when riding against the wind on the way back.
I remember sitting with my father when I was a kid and watching the Tour de France. It was a bigger deal then and one of the major networks carried it. Now you have to have cable. You can watch golf anytime, but cycling’s biggest event isn’t worth the effort. Golf isn’t even a real sport. Anyway, I was always amazed when the peleton would grab a bite to eat while riding at 20 mph. I tried it a few times and nearly choked. In more recent years as I have started riding more I have found that in order to ride 100 miles you have to learn to eat on the bike. The first time I tried it I choked again. Stupid sport.
In spite of my initial problems I have figured it out and now I usually gnaw on a Cliff bar and down a bottle of Accelerade on the way up so that I am good for the ride down (which always seems to be against the wind). I can now rip open packages with my teeth and eat without choking.
It doesn’t mean I am not clumsy. Yesterday I dropped my Cliff bar on the way up and turned just in time to see it bounce down the road.
I guess I can pick it up the next time I bonk coming down. Yummy.