Cool Spot After the First Mountain

It's been a long time since I've biked something this tough. This whole trip took us 6 hours of blood sweat and tears on our saddle to traverse the whole 83 miles. I consider this ride to be one of the most grueling I've been on that I did not prepare at all beforehand.

The first half of the ride even though challenging it was still manageable. The real challenge came at the second climb after we explored and took some cool photos at the base. The second climb took forever, and it was a never ending climb that slowly chipped at my will. The whole ride was me and my inner voice pushing me one revolution at a time, I remember looking at my watch to see how far more until this suffering would end to only find out we only completed half of the whole trip. The only thing I could do was just put my head down and just press on... Which took us 2 hours to summit the mountain.

We were already extremely exhausted, glycogen stores depleted, carbohydrates from the previous meal completely burned. It was at that time when we stumbled upon a BBQ spot (absolute lifesaver) where we chowed down and rest before making our way back home. I had cramps here and there at the end of the trip, but thankfully we had already completed the Powerhouse Loop.

It might've been a grueling adventure, but the magnificent view and company made the whole trip worth it.

Afterthought

This whole journey has provided me with some valuable insights on myself. The ride was a true test of my mental fortitude and will power. There were multiple times in the ride where I wanted to give up, but willpower helped me to push through the challenges.

It became a lesson to myself on HOW perseverance and will, can help me achieve almost anything no matter the obstacles. HOW taking small and firm steps, can help make daunting challenges more manageable by breaking them down to smaller challenges!

Also, Coca-Cola is an absolute lifesaver at the end of the trip.