The weather this weekend was once again unseasonably amazing
and I took full advantage. 70 and almost 80 degrees both days meant I have
started getting used to the summer weather out of necessity instead of
gradually as the weather changed. Drinking water at the correct rate has become
difficult because, and I’m almost not joking here, it seems I need to drink a
gallon an hour. But as much as things are strange, don’t take my comments as critical.
Mother Nature, you’re one strange woman. Normally in my life when a woman is
treated poorly, she bites back viciously and swiftly. But we have been pumping
harmful gases at you and covering your surface with asphalt, and you seem to be
rewarding us with early season beauty. Needless to say, I’m confused. The truth
is, that everyone needs to watch out for upper Midwest racers this season. With
this kind of weather this time of year, we’re going to be unseasonably strong.
But like I said, I took full advantage of it. After reading
some articles on the lost art of the group ride and the dying breed of fast and
smart, but not necessarily strong bike racers I decided it was a good weekend
for some epic group rides. One tap for Saturday was a ride out west on some new
roads. I invited everyone, and about half showed. Even fewer kept up and made
it all the way out to the newer roads. But those who were left were some
teammates from the KS-Energy-Team Wisconsin MTB squad. We took Sweeney Road
from K then climbed county HH. It is a 3km climb, at about 3%. Not super long,
not super tough. But the scenery on the way up is unbelievable. And she isn’t a
forgiving climb either. With the wind from the South we crested the winding and
sunny road to a desolate plateau of farm fields with a strong head wind that
made it seem like we were still climbing on the flats. From there we descended
back down on Blue Ridge road, aptly named, and then climbed up Lakeview Road.
It’s another gorgeous road and a very interesting climb similar to HH but with its
own character. It kicks right away, and then levels as you see the trees
ending. I waved and said hi to a kid playing in their yard then looked ahead as
I cleared the trees to see the road really turn up; I was only half way there.
Similar to HH, it was a stiff head wind at the top, breath taking as it is,
well, breath taking (I was gassed at the top). I’ll be doing some more
exploring next weekend, I absolutely can’t wait.
But now on to a much more important piece of business. It’s
been too long and they have done to much for me mentally and physically to not
give them proper mention here on this blog. I have a love hate relationship
with them, but I’m always welcomed with a warm, chocolaty embrace. Fudgy bars.
For those of you who know about them, you understand what I mean. For those of
you who don’t, let me explain.
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| Children should look away, this is basically porn |
Fudgy bars are these tasty granola bars, dipped in really
cheap but oh so delicious fudge. They are the perfect combination of healthy
granola bar, with the satisfying smooth chocolate that I often crave. They are
made by a company akin to Little Debbie to give you an idea of where they fit
on the performance food spectrum. They would be the perfect long ride food if
they didn’t melt in your pocket. Situations like these have repeatedly resulted
in my licking the wrapper like a crack head trying to get that little bit to
keep me going. The worst part is that they are usually not satisfying, but they
are filling. Holding the bar lets you know just how dense it is. My guess is
that the preservative and filler make it heavy, but reading the ingredients
list, you realize it’s not that bad for you. They are mostly oats, granola and
chocolate. Beyond that, they are $2.99 for a box of 12.
I told myself I needed to stop eating them because they are blank
extra calories that I don’t need when I’m trying to slim up. I bought a box on
Friday, it’s half gone already.
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