Another 90°F here in central Texas, but it didn't start out that way. I waited for the full light of the morning sun to depart, which is getting close to 8:00 am; there was a cool and refreshing chill in the air -- but not enough to hassle with any extra gear just yet. The route was ambiguous, as it often is, though I resolved to tackle at least a few hills for the day; Das Hugel is just a month away. With such a start, it was 25 miles in before I paused, briefly, above the Blanco River along Fischer Store road.
Not long after, a few other bicyclist's joined the route from a side street. Though their pace was well above mine, I couldn't help but enjoy the draft for a bit. Before long, however, they turned and I continued straight. My route started taking shape, including a pass through Canyon Lake and a side trip to the top of the dam (a pleasant 8% grade to gain a few hundred feet).
From the lake, the logical route is to follow the dam's outlet, down to the popular River Road -- a regular favorite of mine. This weekend there was some added bicycle traffic from a Bike for MS event. I upped the pace a bit to blend in with the crowd, but I never really found a steady wheel; instead, there were a lot of 'good mornings' and 'how's the ride going' as I passed by some, and was passed by others.
Once in Gruene, the charity ride turned right into New Braunfels; I went left. Home was only 15 miles away, but I was only at about mile 55. I made good on my resolution, and turned back up the Balcones Escarpment. After a few hundred feet of climbing, an interpretive road sign declared I was joining the official "Hill Country Trail" (an auto-tour route). It was about time for an ice cream!
Passing mile 80, I started to realize I was still a few miles short of a century. Often times, I'd fill in the miles with some neighborhood laps, but today I went for it: I added 10 miles of the worst local hills, each one with ramps over 10% grade. The last two hills -- close to home, at least -- each crested 20%. I quickly added an extra 1,000 feet to the ride. Surprisingly, I felt wonderful right up until the end; then again, the ride 'only' averaged about 60 feet per mile, whereas next month's century (if all goes to plan) will easily break 100 feet/mile.