DSQ: Shattered

Ride
time- approx. 5:00*
distance- approx. 70mi*


*I looked at my Garmin last night, saw that the battery was at a bar and a half and thought that should be fine. I was wrong.**

**This happens a lot

Tough day out on the bike, Dirtbag friends. Good day, but at the end there I was hurting it up. Diesel was getting three laps going from Dillingham airport up to Helemano and back. One lap is about 35mi. The Grey and I planned to join him at the top of his first lap, but we missed each other by a few minutes so we headed down Pineapple on our own.
It is still cold here. I need to pick up some of those sleeves for the cool mornings, plus they will protect the Dirtbag guns (very distracting) from the sun when I leave the house without putting on some screen. Again.
The Grey and I were out to the airport and turned around when Diesel passed us going the other direction. He soon caught us and the Three Amigos were back together. Until Diesel turned on the gas on the way up Pineapple and left us behind. I had a good ride up the first lap. Strong, pretty quick. I thought the boded well for the future. Wrong!**
Back down Pineapple and off to the airport. Below is how I look and sound on nearly every descent I ride.

I began to realize the ride back was not going to be all peaches and cream when I heard Diesel and the Grey talking about how lucky we had been with the headwind earlier. There hadn't been one. I'd noticed too but I didn't say anything because the cycling gods can hear you and they laugh at your silly hubris. And right after (Seriously! Right. After.) the words were out of their mouths here comes the wind. It would be the fourth amigo for the remainder of the ride. As we hit the bottom of Pineapple I looked at the Grey and said, "This isn't going to be good." And it wasn't. So I was right, which is nice.
There were points where I felt strong, points where the cadence came up and I felt like someone who had been riding a bike for over a year. And there were points where I was 75% sure I was going to yak and I wondered if I would be able to get off my bike before I did it. Doing so much Pineapple has shortened it mentally and I know the stages of the hill well now. So while powering up it ceased to be an option, getting some was and I got as much as I could. At the top we were supposed to head all the way to the guard shack but I was feeling pretty shattered and opted to go home instead.
This is the kind of Dirtbag Suffering Quotient which will make me strong and fast. I see you, Lance-a-little.