Susi tried to kill us!! Well, no, not really, tho Jenna thot so for a while

There are several competing titles for this post.

Estella sets a new blog-group speed record. 87.75 Kph down Cochrane hill!
Jenna's face getting the news at the Shell station.
Horse Creek/Lochend road is an awesome ride!
Susi chicked 3 boys, big time.
Jenna has heart out the wazoo.

Firstly, the map of our route. Jenna had no idea at all where we were, and wanted to see the map, WITH elevation, if you please. She and I were convinced Susi had been to coach-land and found a route that was essentially all uphill.




You'll note I start the route at the centre of Cochrane. Susi wants to publish a map to her home that's her business, but I'm not gonna. So add on a few more K. We got going a few minutes after 9am, and after Jenna put herself back together after her adventure on the hill, we got started in earnest. Toon-town, remember? No hills. Keep this firmly in mind.

They're paving just west of town, and the turn off to Horse Creek Rd is right there. It's wonderful to go from busy highway, lots of cars, icky paving smell to no cars, and gorgeous scenery. It was a perfect day for riding, not too much wind, nice and sunny, but not hot. We quickly got strung out a bit, Susi up ahead, me in the middle and Jenna a bit behind figuring out how to cope with hills. Periodically me or Susi (mostly Susi) would ride back to see how she was making out.

The ride up to Bottrel is really quite pretty. The pavement alternates between good and ok with some bits to be careful about. We saw 3 large deer/elk/things that went kaboink when they saw us coming. Lots of predatory birds floating along looking for prey.

Stopped at Bottrel General Store for water and chatted with other cyclists. This is a cool store. Then up the hill and over to 22, then over to the golf course. You have to know where it is, because there sure aren't many signs. Lots of golfers, and several other cyclists as well. Chatted with some of them. We left a little before them, but they caught us as we were stopped at the top of Lochend road taking pictures. Jenna took a ton of pictures, and some of them will almost certainly show up on blogs. She is sorry to disappoint people, but there are none of Susi or me with our pants down showing off our pasty white butts. Well, mine is, shouldn't presume to talk of Susi's.

Going south Susi and I were going along pretty good, gradually gaining on the boys that had passed us. Then she got that glint in the eye I know so well. "Let's catch them" she said, and was off. I can only keep up with her on the flats by driving my heart rate up to the top of zone 3 or so, and that isn't something I can keep up for long. Off she went, and chicked them all! Way to go Susi! I came to realize there are certain difficulties in a guy well over 6 feet tall on a road bike trying to draft someone 5'2, in aero, on a bike with 650 tires.

We met up again, and coached Jenna on how to go down Cochrane hill. There's brand new pavement on the road, but the shoulders are pretty icky. I coasted down, deciding to scope it out, knowing I'd get another run at. Which Jenna didn't know. (hehehe). We met up again at the Shell station at the bottom of the hill. Then Susi told Jenna we were going to ride back up the hill. Jenna's face was priceless!

If I could have thought of a reasonable excuse to have her camera in my hands, we could have documented it for posterity. But here's where she showed the heart that is going to get her through IMC. Here she's been on a long hilly ride, without much hill experience, and at least one good scare. She's tired, her legs are about done, her butt is killing her, and she's still game. Up the hill. In the granniest gear and wishing there was a great-grannier gear, but up the hill. No walking, no puking. Awesome! At the top, where Susi and I were waiting, Susi gave her the little devil horn sign. Perfect! Priceless moment.

We swooped back down the hill through the Glen Eagles golf course. I don't know what it is, but Estela LIVES to go down hill fast. There's Susi in aero, pedaling like mad, I'm up and relaxed, and swoosh. Under the bridge and back onto the main road. No cars, onto the good pavement, a pedal up to about 130 rmp, and hope there isn't a cop there with a radar gun. Though if I got a speeding ticket on the bike, I'd copy and frame it. Whoosh! Yeehaaawwww! What a great finish to a long ride. Through town, back to Susi's, change, and out for 30 minute run. Slow run, though trying to keep up with them put my heart rate way up.

We gradually got ourselves showered and cleaned up, Jenna still muttering about how she couldn't believe what Susi had done to her. Then sushi. We ate about a million pieces. burp. Susi showed me some transition stuff, then I packed up and Linda drove me home. I slept like a rock, and feel great today. Maybe that's the coffee talking, but my waking heart rate was only slightly higher than normal, and other than my elbow that got a bloody owie, I feel great today. Not great enough to join them on the Highwood ride today but I've got a good excuse. The lawn simply MUST get cut today, or I'm going to have to call in a local farmer to cut and bale it. Plus we've got friends coming for a BBQ this afternoon.

Even though our total ride time was 7 hours, the time wasn't the point. We weren't racing. We had a nice stop at the store and the golf course. We stopped periodically to regroup. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It almost wasn't like a workout, though my watch says I burned over 6,000 calories. I don't have the formal numbers because my bike computer reset itself a couple of times.

In honour of the occasion, my wife came up with this little ditty, sung to the tune "Lord of the Dance".

Let me tell you a story 'bout a girl named Jenn
Little prairie chick training for an Ironman
She swam and she ran and she rode her bike with pride
Till her good friend Susi said "Let's take a little ride!"

Jenn, Jenn, tell me what you see
A big bad hill instead of bald prairie
A little trick played by your pal Susi
So what on earth's a prairie gal supposed to do?

Poor Jenn did not know what to do at first
But she told her pal Susi "oh do your worst!"
So Jenna, Susi, and Keith began their climb
3 kilometers of hard hilling time

Jenn, Jenn, tell me what you see
A big bad hill instead of bald prairie
A little trick played by your pal Susi
So what on earth's a prairie gal supposed to do?

The time has come to bring this story to an end
Jenna climbed the big bad hill
and IronSusi's still her friend
So the moral of the story is plain for all to see
Whatever else you do, stick to your IGP!

In honour of Susi, since she loves George

My name's Iron Susi,
I train on big hills,
That give my pal Jenna
The shakes the chills.

I like my pal Jenna,
She stays at my home,
But she should have remembered
That I'm bad to the bone,

(chorus)

I rode a thousand hills,
Before I met you,
I'll ride a thousand more baby,
Before I am through,
You should have remembered
That I'm the devil's own

I'm telling you Jenna,
That I'm bad to the bone

(chorus)


Weekly total
swim 1.5 hr
Bike 9 hr (not sure I should count the ride as 7 because of the breaks)
Run 2.45 hr
Total 12.9