Bicycle Adventure. Sandbridge Saturday.

This past saturday after not riding to work a single day all week (not too proud of this myself, trust me...), i decided I was going on a long bicycle adventure. I really needed to put in the miles and I planned a ride to the sandbridge area in Virginia Beach. More specifically, I was trying to ride to the edge of the wildlife sanctuary area where there's a hiking/biking path that one could take through to North Carolina's False Cape State park and come out somewhere in Corolla. I have been toying with the idea of riding a bike through this state park/wildlife sanctuary as a bicycle tour/camping trip for a couple years now and it was a good opportunity for me to go check out what the beginning of the path looked like and see if it's bike-able. I packed a couple clif bars, my u-lock and an apple into my messenger bag and hit the road. Almost 6 hours later I returned, cold, soaked from the rain I'd ridden the last 16 miles in and physically/emotionally defeated. I did 66 miles, my longest ride so far. I wasn't 100% prepared for how chilly it got closer to the oceanfront and certainly wasn't prepared for rain! When I got to Sandbridge, 30-31ish miles into the ride, I stopped at the Sandbridge Market and grabbed an orange and a 22oz bottle of New Belgium's Fat Tire Amber Ale, which seemed a fitting choice for this adventure. My intentions were to ride a couple more miles down the road to the beginning of the state park area where I planned to rest, relax, stretch out and enjoy my lunch (a peanut butter clif bar, an orange and the beer). I got less than a mile down the road and I felt the first couple little rain drops. I already knew my trip wasn't going to end good. I didn't have a jacket, there wasn't really a good place to take shelter and as far as you could see the sky was a slightly darker gray than when I'd started the ride. I started riding back the way I came, down Sandfiddler Rd towards Sandbridge Rd and eventually the rain sprinkles kinda died off. I kept looking for a little park area that I'd seen on my way in, didn't find it. I kinda had to pee, really needed to stop and stretch my legs and REALLY needed to take a break. I never got the break. When I was coming down London Bridge Rd 50 miles into the ride, the rain let loose. I took cover under some trees and watched the rain for a few thinking it couldn't rain for too long (the sky is gray/black everywhere at this point, common sense told me I was fucked but denial is a powerful drug...) I waited, waited, drank that 22 of Fat Tire that had been getting warm/slightly shaken in my bag for 20ish miles at this point and waited some more. I started thinking about what options I had at this point to get home... ride to somewhere i could get a bus home? ride to the lightrail station? Either option would've been miles away, I'd be soaked through and miserable by the time I got to either and then would more than likely have to wait when i got there for the next bus or train, so I started riding again. Legs more sore and tired than they've probably ever been, knees starting to not feel great, hands getting numb from the constant pressure of my bars on the same 2 1/2 positions i can hold them in for 5ish hours and feet already getting a little numb/sore as well. I was soaked through within a mile of riding away from those trees. I was cold, trying to keep my cadence up to keep my body moving faster to keep my blood pumping to keep me warm, but my legs and my body just couldn't do it. I was exhausted. I ate the apple between Kempsville Rd and Military Hwy while riding and getting rained on. Passing motorists looked out their windows at me like I had a 3rd arm growing out of my head, I must've looked completely insane to them. As I approached the 60 mile mark on my computer, I was starting to crunch the numbers to see how much further I was from home, I started obsessing over it, started looking at my embarrassing slow speed at this point and figuring out how much longer I'd be on the bike( i was down to 11-13ish mph at this point, really not feeling good...). I also started thinking about what I'd do when I got home...Take a shower?...NO!!! A BATH!!! A HOT FUCKING BATH!!! GOD DAMN IT'S GONNA BE GREAT!!! Should i try to eat something? or rest for a little while first? Am I going to be able to do ANYTHING LATER?!?! or am I going to be this tired all night... SHIT! I hope not! Before I knew it, I was coming up to the light at Redgate and Hampton Blvd and then I was home. I wish the ride had gone smoother. I learned some hard lessons about being prepared for unexpected conditions, particularly WEATHER CONDITIONS! I didn't even wipe down my Bridgestone RB-2 when i got home, i leaned it up against the commuter bike and turned on only the hot water in the bath tub...

     I can't wait to try this ride again. I think I'll go a different time of day next time. Not on a Saturday afternoon. Maybe super earlier morning on a weekday.