My Garmin congratulated me on setting another personal best ascent record for the day - 892 metres, and I felt every one of them. It also puts me past the 500km mark for the trip, meaning I'm just over 1/3 of the way there*
I'll be honest, I did not want to ride today. I'm getting worn out physically and mentally. I'm having trouble remembering why I thought this was a good idea to begin with.
I forced myself to get up and put the miles in, but my heart wasn't in it. The 500m ascent over the first 45km was a lot harder than I anticipated, and I was completely drained at the top. Coincidentally, there was another rider at the top coming from the opposite direction. I told him he's got a helluva downhill waiting for him. He said I did too, and he wasn't lying.
Right past the crest of the hill there was a sign that warned of an 8 degree downhill grade for the next 2km. All told, I didn't start pedaling until 5km into the descent - no joke!
Even with the dozens of kilometres of flat or downhill to recover, I still needed to climb my way out of the valley to get to my destination, and my legs were struggling. With no energy left, pushed myself to Akureyri, and the Hamrar campground.
Checking my route for tomorrow I see there's a 600m ascent over 10km waiting for me right off the bat. I don't think I have it in me. I feel like my gun only has so many bullets and I spent the last chamber today. I'll rest up and get some food in me. Hopefully I feel better in the morning.
* Ring Road is about 1340km, but with my ride from the airport, and my detour around the bay, my trip should be a minimum of 1500km.
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