The tilling wasn't as hard as it might sound, we have a nice rear-tine tiller, doesn't beat me up too bad.... Parts of the ride were nice and aggressive; my buddy is casually entering a race in Colorado in a few weeks, and it's lit a fire under him, and I'm reaping the benefits of a motivated ride buddy!
The euphoria for hours after a good ride is a wonderful thing; presumably that's from 2.5 hours of aerobic output, some at peak (or very near) HR and high oxygen throughput. What makes cycling so special is that you aren't beat up afterwards! If I'd done a vigorous 2.5 hour hike it'd be ibuprofen time. Instead I feel GREAT.
