The culmination of all this training was finally put to the test - this weekend was my big ride! I decided to take it easy during the week, riding in on Monday and Friday. Friday was Bike to Work day and I was supposed to lead a convoy, but because of inclement weather (there was a massive downpour), very few people participated. Such a shame.
And to make matters worse, I discovered Friday on my way home from Bike to Work day that water had leaked into my bicycle computer, causing the display to malfunction. So I had to make an emergency stop to buy a new bicycle computer and have it installed before the ride! Sigh.
Saturday
I tried to go to bed early Friday night, but had taken a nap when I first got home so I didn't end up getting to bed til 11:30p. Not so good when my wake up call was for 4:30a! I woke up and it was still dark out. I got dressed and biked to Starbucks to meet Craig and drive to the start. The sun was coming up as we drove out to Purcellville, VA and it was pretty to watch the sky lighten.
We got to the start relatively early and met Michelle pretty much right away. We also ran into John and Aesha who we trained with, and Rose, a friend from previous cycling fundraising events. They wanted to wait for another friend, but we had already been there for an hour so we took off. There was also some (unwarranted, it turned out) concern that it was going to rain so we wanted to make sure we were done before any water hit the pavement.
It was pretty chilly at the beginning so we all were bundled up pretty well. As the day wore on, layers slowly started peeling off and by lunchtime, we were down to our base layers. The first part of the ride went really well - we were on lots of the same roads we've trained on so it was familiar terrain. We even stopped at the same market we were at last weekend doing the Warrenton ride and this time, they had their famous chocolate chocolate chip muffins! Heaven!
There was one section of the route where we had this great paceline going with these other riders. At one point, we passed a church and I was so enthralled with trying to read the sign they had posted, that I ran off the road into the gravel. Luckily, I was steady enough that I rode through it until the curb dipped and I could get back on the road. Michelle wisely commented, "Religion will always lead you astray!"
The stretch between that market and the lunch pit was very tough - it was vaguely uphill and definitely headwindy. It just felt really hard so when we finally arrived at lunch, we were pretty happy. In fact, we stayed there for a long time resting in the sun and gathering up the strength to continue.
The second half of the day was much better for me. Lunch helped revive me and I felt really strong so I was powering up the hills, even passing some big guys on the way up. It was definitely gratifying, especially since I was hanging on with Craig who usually kicks my ass up the hills.
We saw a lot of animals along the way: deer, goats, cows, horses, and even llamas! The best were the 2 separate occasions we saw deer that were hopping through the fields right next to us. They crossed the road and leapt over the fences so gracefully. It was really beautiful. On the flip side, we saw a lot of roadkill too. Not quite as pleasant or beautiful.
The last 3 miles were pretty tough - after all those miles, there were more hills. But we got in to camp around 4:30p (we started at 7:30a), averaging about 16 mph. We put our bikes away, got our stuff, and changed. There were so many people at camp, a lot of whom I knew. It was great to be randomly walking around and here someone call my name. I saw Mary, a friend from Bike to Work day and from the previous MS ride - she's now 3 & 1/2 months pregnant! I also saw friends from the team I rode with last year, as well as lots of other cycling friends who were on this ride.
We chowed down on BBQ, then went back to the hotel. We checked in and I took the best shower ever! And I finally had a good experience with Icy Hot - Michelle gave me some to put on my knees and it felt fantastic! Then we went across the street for TCBY (frozen yogurt). We were back at the hotel by 7p and asleep by 8p!
Sunday
Except for waking up at midnight and not falling back asleep til about 1a, I actually slept really well. In fact, I probably could have used about 10 more hours! We got up around 5:30 in order to hop on the bus at 6:15. That didn't happen.
We went to check out and noticed other riders waiting. Apparently, they had been waiting since 5:30a and the bus never showed up! We were pretty concerned at this point because the bus was our only way back to the bike ride. So Rose (yeah, Rose!) called John's partner Wes, who was volunteering with the ride, and told him what was up in the hopes of making the crew aware of what was going on. In the meantime, we ate the breakfast buffet provided by the hotel. In the middle of eating, the bus pulls up - an hour and a half late! They had started at the wrong hotel and just sat there for the whole time, not thinking they should go ahead to the other hotels. Sigh.
We made it to the campgrounds, found our bikes and got our bearings. We managed to set off by 7:30a. It was slow going in the beginning. Stiff muscles and early hills just don't mix. Everyone was sore and feeling it. But the sky was blue and the sun was out and little by little, we got back in to the swing of things. The second day was tough, but was over pretty quickly. We hooked up with our friend Abby and rode with her for most of the ride, and I suffered a bit of ribbing about last year's Icy Hot incident.
I finished around 11a and it was great to finally ride in to the parking lot. It had been a tough ride and my legs and tushie were sore. Paul was waiting for me at the finish line and gave me a big hug and kiss. I picked up my certificate for completing the ride and grabbed my stuff to throw in the car. Then I chowed down on some pizza and waited for Ron to ride in so we could cheer for him and everyone else as they finished.
I'm so glad I did the ride again this year - it was amazing to see all those cyclists out on the road. It's always amazing to me to be a part of something bigger than just me and my little world.
Thanks for joining me along the way. I rode a total of 1,358 miles training for this ride and raised $1,289! Congratulations and thanks to you all for helping me.
Rachael