Big Hills with Big Bush

Sunday was Fair Hill. It's right in my backyard. But I just wasn't feeling it. So I wished the guys good luck and took off on the road. It was a sweltering day. One of the roads I wanted was closed and I took a really awful way to work my way around it. I haphazardly weaved all around Newark coming to an intersection, thinking "I don't want to go that way, that has a big climb". Only to go the other and realize it was a bigger one. I was sweating so bad it was pouring out of my helmet and into my eyes. My hands were so slippery it was hard to hold on to the bars. On my way home I decided I just wanted to be home, so instead of taking the longer more gradual climb home, I bit the bullet and went down the belly of the beast and did the 273 climbs.
To describe it better, 273 has a long false flat, then a deep valley that you have to climb out of and then a second smaller valley, which you also have to climb out of. So I don't choose this option unless I'm feeling extra spunky and up for a challenge, or like Sunday when I just didn't want to be on my bike for another minute and just wanted to get home the shortest distance possible.
The false flat was fine. There was a head wind, but it actually felt good in the heat. Then into the valley. Just as I'm started to head back up the other side I hear screeching breaks beside me. I turn to see Big Bush on the mountain bike, number plate and all. He turns and smiles and says "is this part of the course?". Very surprised, I tell him no, he was way off course. Still smiling he explains that he had pulled out and was headed back to the fair grounds. We chatted the whole way back.
Oh, it hurt so bad to climb and chat trying to make it seem like it didn't hurt. He was funny and nice, so it was all good. As we are just about up the first climb he says, "I thought once I pulled out of the race I wouldn't have to do any more climbing". I laughed.