I saw 5 Angels today

Fitting title of the shelter, this was our stopping point on the 5th climb

So I'm busy getting ready for K2.  I've done several long rides in the past month.  I've also been doing some structured interval workouts.  My legs are feeling better and better each day.  I've also been going to the gym 3 times a week.  The workouts are challenging and typically use only your body weight, but we do get our kettle bell on from time to time.  Toss in some climbing and my days are pretty well full.  Who has time to work 1 let alone 2 jobs?  Well yesterday was my last day at Macpac.  I will miss the job as it was always fun to talk about the outdoors with people and try to instill my love of them into others. 

Doesn't do it justice

So today we did a ride called the 5 Angels that goes up 5 different ascents off of Welcome Bay.  I logged in just shy of 122km and Andy from group said we did just under 2100m of elevation gain over the day.  Based on that, I don't think I would name the ride the 5 Angels.  Instead it should be called legs burning, heart pumping, vomit inducing, sweat drenched hours of punishment, but I don't think it would fly.  Regardless I loved the ride.  The views you got from riding down Welcome Bay Road of the Mount and out into the country side were amazing.  This being New Zealand the weather was weird as.  There was a  chilly wind and rain at the top of every climb that I could have done without.  However once we descended back toward Welcome Bay Road, the weather would fine up and I would want to take off my vest.  I made an impulse buy at Macpac as we got some new adventure gear in right before I worked for the last time.  Its a windproof nylon vest with a mesh back that has been treated with DWR and it performed well today.  I would have preferred the medium, but the arm holes were too tight and the large just had some flapping in the wind that I had to contend with.

We started the day with 11 riders leaving from Martin's house.  We rode down Cameron Road and turned on 15th and headed toward Maungatapu (where I have spin) and Welcome Bay.  We went down the length of Welcome Bay Road and turned up our first climb.  This also happens to be the location of the local Mtb track, Summer Hill.  After this climb we lost 3 riders, who happened to have had enough for the day.  I was told on the 2nd hill that the first was supposedly the easiest hill.  We seemed to lounge around at the top of each hill waiting to regroup and to chat for a bit before heading back down.  This occurred at every summit, except for the last.  I would get a chill waiting around and just wanted to get a move on, but having never ridden this ride, I wasn't going to take the lead.  Once again, my nutrition or lack there of hurt me.  I was out of bars and left the house without eating.  I did stop for a mad Mexican pie on my way over to Tauranga.  It was a little spicy this morning compared to the other times I have gotten it.  Then after 3 climbs, we stopped at a gas station and I got a Nut Roll type of thing and some Powerade.  We had done roughly 75km at this point and I was starving.  On the last climb a few people didn't come up and instead hit the coffee shop.  2 others got most of the way up and turned around.  3 of us waited at the predetermined end point for roughly 10 minutes before we turned around toward town.  I used the last of my energy to do some sprinting up a couple inclines, but these efforts were really short.  We joined up with the rest of the group and had a little meal.  Ok I had a good amount of food, peach iced tea, a BBQ Chicken and Bacon toastie, and a carrot cake muffin.  From there we parted ways as some bad weather was rolling in and the people who didn't do the entire ride were done eating.  I got back home and took a much needed shower and now I get to ride my bike over to the grocery store for some much needed supplies.

This boat shouldn't be leaning like that.

Earlier in the week we had some crazy high, ok Gale Force, winds and one of the boats in Pilot's Bay broke free and was beached on the shallow shore.  I happened to be out walking and took some pictures of it.  This past week the weather was crazy.  It was chilly in the morning and fine during the day, and then super windy at night.  I go to the gym at 6am and then sit at work thinking about paddle boarding or even going for a swim as the water temp seems to have warmed up, but then when I get home I'm almost blown off my bike.  I don't really like biking at a 45 degree angle much less paddling head first into some really strong wind.  This week the weather is looking better so hopefully I get to add some color to my non-tan upper body.  My arms are dark up to my jersey line and then its a drastic change and then a subtle change to my shoulder blades as I still haven't lost my tan lines from last summer.  I have less than 2 weeks until K2 and I'm going to be doing a couple medium distance rides, but first my bike needs a shop visit and I need to replace my cleats.  Ugh, I spent $25 on a pair of brake pads the other day.  I'm glad I have them, but that price just hurts.