Day 4 - 113km - Who Said Anything About a Recovery Ride?
It was my error but for some reason I thought that our final day of cycling was to be a day of recovery after the brutal climb on Munduk. When I mentioned it to Coach Mike that the recovery ride was more challenging than I thought it would be he responded with 'who said anything about a recovery ride?' Needless to say today was no recovery ride. With more than 40km of climbing and some steep grades of 20%, today's 113km ride was enough to take the final bits of energy from my tired body. It was a great ride in a sense that the scenery was nice along the way and this time I managed the climb with my feet on the pedals versus yesterday's climb slogging up the massive Munduk. http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6229296
Today's ride however was more characteristic of a climb than yesterday's inhuman climb. The weather was overcast which was great for preventing overheating and keeping us cool as we (well me anyhow) struggled up the climb. The plan was to do the climb and then descend to a well deserved lunch at Naughty Nuris in Ubud. The top of the climb at 5700 ft was in the clouds so it was very cool and visibility was very low. After rounding the final turn and hearing Mike say 'all done' it was a great feeling, especially after the humbling experience that Munduk provided the day before. As with most of the activities on this trip, there was still more fun to be had. The descent of 35km was very challenging, with sharp turns, steep grades, dogs, cows, chickens, cyclists and other vehicles all sharing the road. It was a bit nerve racking hitting a maximum speed of 75 km/h on this descent, especially with my cold numb hands and the ultra bumpy roads.
Still Going Strong After Munduk
Winston and Christian before the final climb
Paul and I faking the camera out by not showing our tiredness
