With my next big race being the Poconos 70.3 I have been doing most of my long rides at Skyline drive and today was the longest ride I’ve ever done, coming in just short of 5 hours.
Like usual I was out there early to try and beat the heat and potential for afternoon storms but mainly to be done before it gets too crowded on the roads.
It was a beautiful morning out and perfect for riding. It was such a nice day out some wildlife decided to join me.
Coming down one of the descents around mile 17 I came around a corner to see two deer standing in the middle of the road. Luckily I was riding with hands near the brakes instead of the aerobars and I was able to slow down and they ran off.
I continued climbing and descending until I made to the Skyland rest station which happens to be the highest point on skyline drive.
And then it was time to turn around. On the way back it started getting windy and the bad storms that were forecast for the afternoon loomed in the distance. This picture doesn’t do it justice because it looked nasty out.
Luckily it only started to drizzle the last 3 miles of my ride and then started raining and lighting after I had already packed up the car. I was suppose to get in a run but didn’t feel safe running on the road given the weather so I decided to bail on that.
Next weeks ride calls for an extra 8 miles before I turn around so it’s looking like it might be a close to 6 hour ride.
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