A soggy, but happy, finish.
Are you joking? That’s what kept running through my mind as I easily climbed Hill Road yesterday in the Philly Livestrong Challenge. Mission to become such a fit athlete that even a challenging 70-mile hilly cycling event could feel like nothing: ACCOMPLISHED.
Things started off a bit shaky before the ride. That waiter who assured me the day before that I was drinking decaf coffee rather than the real deal was clearly mistaken. Eve of the biggest ride of my life: I got one hour of sleep. (For those who don’t know, I can’t drink coffee because it gives me bad heart palpitations, so one accidental cup to me is like taking a hit of Speed.)
Then after I “woke up” to get ready for the ride, my Livestrong wristband snapped in two. Bad omen?
But nothing was standing in our way of accomplishing our year’s goal. We got to the start a bit early so that Tom could buy me a new wristband in the village, and despite the lack of sleep, we both felt energized. I proudly wore my Freshbikes kit (favorite bike shop) and smiled brightly when a guy rode by and shouted “Freshbikes!” — he also was representing with the kit.
So, the ride. Piece of cake! Remember when I said I wanted to be that girl who rode by me up a hill two years ago while I walked? I was her! For the first half of the ride, everyone stayed up on their bikes, but as the ride progressed and the hills got longer and steeper, many people walked their bikes up. Not me! And, of course, not Tommie! We rode every inch.
And the finish line. Since the minute we signed up we were looking forward to riding into the finish line: yellow banners everywhere, yellow chalked “Congratulations!” on the pavement, cheering supporters, me riding through the survivor lane to grab my rose, and the announcer calling our names as our pictures would be taken under the finish line. Not so much.
At around mile 65 the rain started, and moments later Tom’s bike chain fell off (for no reason, I might add). Sadly it got lodged between the bike frame and the chain ring, so we had to flip the bike over and perform a bit of maintenance to get it working again — in the rain. After that we hopped back on our now soaking saddles and continued on. Then we heard the thunder. And then as the thunder grew louder and louder, we saw the clear lightening bolts a bit too well.
The storm wouldn’t let up. Around mile 68 we accepted the fact that the finish line would probably be empty. No one would cheer us in, let alone announce our victory.
But, we caught up to a group of riders about a block from campus, and we all laughed about our new reality. We rode through the deserted finish line and were directed by a lone man in a raincoat to get to the gym ASAP — lightening strikes and tornado warning!
So, we didn’t get the ending we were looking for, but this one will never be forgotten. We made a lot of (soggy) friends in the gym, and our hotel was happy to provide us with a clean shower (for a small fee) so that we could de-thaw before our trek back to Ol’ Virginney.
70 miles. 5,400 feet of elevation. On one hour of sleep. In an electrical storm. And I was worried about cancer?
Eff you, Cancer!
(P.S. I happened upon this blog post that I thought you might enjoy. I like reading about her fitness and health journey, and more importantly, I love her story of her Lance Armstrong encounter yesterday.)
Tracy,
CONGRATS! Sounds like you are in great shape! What’s the next ride? Kudos for a great run despite the inconviniences. All the best!
Thanks! Doing a 50-miler in a couple of weeks to celebrate my birthday, and then the next big big ride is in October. We’re going back to Maryland to ride the Sea Gull Century again. Hope you’ve been able to get tons of golf-time in!
Congrats on finishing the ride!
I’m so sorry that you didn’t get the finish you were looking for. I was disappointed too, since my husband was riding as well. But a few of us were in the parking lot honking our car horns while you all came in, so I hope that you heard us and it at least helped out in some way. But like you said, it was still a great ride.
Looking forward to next year already!!!
We did hear some horns!
And some people cheered at the entrance of the gym when we got there too. The whole thing was surreal, but still gobs of fun. What distance did your hubby ride?
I’m glad you heard us!! He rode the 70 for me (thyroid cancer).
I’m bookmarking your site, and I joined your FB page.
We must have seen him along the way. Tell him congrats!
Hope you’re doing well, too. Any chance you might ride next year? I do it rather than chemo — much more fun.
I have to repeat Radioactive Iodine Treament in January, but all and all, I can’t complain because it could be worse.
I am thinking about participating next year, yes. But of course, one of the shorter courses.
Best of luck with the treatments. And yes, I’d start shorter too. In fact I did. I was in HORRIBLE shape after being sick for 9 years before a doctor realized I had a tumor on my pancreas and then having to recover from pancreas surgery once he did find it. So, my physical fitness level was rock bottom. I trained up to the 45-miler two years ago in about two months and found the ride extremely challenging. But it was great motivation for me to get stronger. Seeing so many fit people climbing hills so easily made me want to be one of them.
Dayum, rode every inch, eh? When I did the 70 mile ride last year, I was just happy to finish. This year, I was happy to walk up fewer hills (3 to be exact).
Congrats on the ride, maybe I’ll see you there next year! I’ll be one of the ones in the Team Fatty gear.
Thanks! Congrats to you too! My trainer worked me so hard in the gym that the hills were completely doable. Two years ago I had to walk up half of the 45-miler, so I had to put in a lot of hard work to conquer my hill-fear. I actually wrote about some of the tips I’ve picked up if you’re interested: http://tracykrulik.com/hill-climbing-tips.
Definitely look forward to seeing you there next year. We’re planning on doing the Austin ride as well.