Bike Ride - TRNP South Unit Loop

Today I rode the ca. 35-mi paved road loop through the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Temps were in the upper 70s I'd guess, with sunny skies, and light breezes out of the south. I did the counter-clockwise version of the loop, so that I could tackle the flat part at the end when I was already tired; otherwise, I'd have to tackle the biggest meanest climbs when I was gassed.

Here's the route, courtesy of MapMyRide.com:





Me.
Sweating.
In my Team Type 1 jersey.
And in my wicked cool new Oakley sunglasses that I love so very very much.




View of badlands along the roadway.








Prairie dog town mounds next to the road, in the Little Missouri River valley bottoms.







In terms of my diabetes, here's what I did.

• Turned my basal rate down to 60% at 10:04 am. 10:30am blood glucose (BG) test was 110 mg/dl. Looking good so far.
• Started the ride at 11:15 am, ended at 2:00pm. 2:45 hours:minutes total ride time.
• Heart rate monitor said I burned 2606 calories, 30% of which were fat calories.
• Maximum Heart Rate was 203 beats/min (110% of my prior measured maximum!)
• Average HR was 147 bpm (80% of previous max).
• During the ride, I took on 149 carbs/650 calories: 4 servings gatorade, 10 glucose tablets, 2 granola bars.
• Immediate post-ride BG was 110 mg/dl. Success!!
• At 4:37 pm (2.5 hours post-ride), my BG was 113 mg/dl. Success continues!!

The ride was hard and great at the same time. I was really gassed by the time I rolled back into Medora. Highlights:

• saw a few bison at a safe distance (none were right next to the road),
• Saw quite a few wild horses. Even rode through a group of six grazing on the road side. No photo, sorry...had to enjoy the moment.
• I got passed by a couple of guys on road bikes. One blew past me on an uphill, second slowly passed me. We chatted for a few moments. And then they were gone. Oh yes, I forgot: these guys had just finished a loop when I was leaving to start my ride. So when they hammered past me...THEY WERE ON THEIR SECOND TRIP THROUGH THE PARK!!