Last Saturday we went to the Sugar Bush Maple Syrup Festival near Salem, IN (about 30 miles from our house), and I, being a complete idiot, decided that I would ride my bike up there, even though this would be the longest ride I had done in probably 6 months. I decided to ride up and over Pixley Knob, which is one of the steepest hills in the area (it tops out at somewhere between 15 and 20% grade).
The weather could not have been better for spring riding (around 40 degrees and sunny), and I started out feeling great, but by the time I hit the knobs, I was feeling like I had been riding only my training for the past 3 months, as my legs were starting to give out. I got to the bottom of Pixley and looked up at it and decided to walk up it. Once I reached the top and starting riding again, I felt okay, but then just a few miles down the road I started to bonk big time. Some how I made it to the festival and by the time Kate, Sam, and her parents showed up I was feeling better, but it was still a good reminder of the difference between riding inside and out.
