Whew! (Part 2) : "You're Killin' Me Man"

So I got worked yesterday. I'm not going to be able to do Saturday's buddy ride, so I asked a long-time cycling friend of mine (who is much younger and leaner than I) to take me out on one of his 50 miler routes.

Here are some thoughts and highlights I recall ...

~ 47.5 miles, 4 hours 10 minutes, average 11.4 mph
~ What am I getting myself into?
~ He rides differently from what I'm used to - spins more ... I'll give it a try.
~ Approaching our first hill he gives me good tips that help me get farther up than I would have before stopping.
~ We stop just before this steep, hair-pin turn. "Here's where it starts getting intense," he tells me. "You're killing me man," is all I could get out between gasps.
~ As I'm trying not to get frustrated about getting up the hill, my thoughts turn to praying for Ginger, one of my honorees, who'd emailed me the night before.
~ We stop again just around the bend. As I catch my breath I tell him, "You are sooo messed up!"
~ So there's one more incline before we hit Howell Mountain Road. I have to stop half way up. (We'd passed the bottom of Howell Mtn. on the flats earlier. He told me we'd be taking the back half up.)
~ We stop again at an intersection to go UP Howell Mtn. I ask if we can just go DOWN! He wouldn't go for it. So we keep climbing.
~ The descent is insane ... 35 mph down winding roads ... riding my brakes and gritting my teeth the entire time ... my forearms and hands are fatigued when we stop at the store at the bottom.
~ Though I'm not hungry, I have to force myself to eat ... something about stoking the energy fire :-)
~ Several miles of flats and rollers in the open sun. I hit 22 mph.
~ Stop at Lake Hennessey (where I should have eaten at least a power bar).
~ "Home stretch?" I ask him. "Home stretch," he says. YA RIGHT! It was a loooooong stretch.
~ I'm tired and I wanna rest. I try calling out, "I NEED TO STOP!" But he doesn't hear me, so I just keep pedaling. This happens on 3 different occassions!
~ Finally nearing Yountville my left toes have fallen asleep and my arms and hands are achy. (With my recent seat adjustment, I need to have them adjust my handlebars as well.)
~ We get back to the cars, and I can't believe I completed the ride!
~ 47.5 miles, 4 hours 10 minutes, average 11.4 mph

Do I dare ride with him again? You betcha! Thursday next week. Wanna ride along?!