I know I am just now getting to posting about the ride I went on... I am not dead, thankfully! I'm sure you may have been wondering though since I said I was going to post right after. I was unable to because I have been dealing with a bit of heartbreak over the last few days... All because I went on the bike ride.
However, that is not what this post is about. You don't want to know about my personal life right?... ;)
Anyways, I got to get up at the break of dawn for this adventure. To make matters even better, I had a decaf coffee that kept me up most of the night. It was either that or being super nervous and excited. It could've also been both... Either way, I ended up being up most of the night and from about 4am until 6am I was waking up every half hour or so...
I met Tita at 7am in the Fred Meyer's parking lot. We got our bikes on her vehicle and headed off toward Carol's cabin. We arrived there about an hour and a 1/2 later.
When we got there Carol got me a pair of bike shorts, a jacket and clip on bike shoes. I reminded her I had never worn bike shoes but I decided to give it a shot. It was nerve-wracking learning how to clip in and out but I eventually got the hang of it. And then we headed out at a nice leisurely pace.
We started climbing gradually and slowly. I was actually beginning to get a little bored, a few of the others had moved ahead so I sped up to catch them.
I caught up to a guy named Kale and rode with him until we met up at our first "sag wagon" stop. We waited for the others to catch up before we headed back out again. It always hurts right when I start off, especially when I try going at a decently fast pace right from the beginning.
Eventually I broke off to catch up with the guys in the front again. Before long Carol was right on my tail.
We made the first 20 some miles without incident until the stop sign that would lead us toward Ashford. I had unclipped one shoe and had come to a complete stop, then I leaned over just a little to pull out my other foot. I leaned too much...Suddenly I was falling, I couldn't do anything about it and everyone was in the back and likely watching. It was great... I found myself on the pavement and swiftly pulled myself back up. Talk about total embarressment...
We arrived to our destination. I have forgotten how long it took us to get there. We stopped for lunch. I was still worried about pulling out another 30 miles so I didn't eat much. We took a ton of pics, talked a lot and then headed back for the last 30 miles.
At this point, I was beginning to feel a bit tired. But usually when that happens I try to push myself harder. In which I did, the first 10 to 15 miles were all going gradually upward and thus were not particularly enjoyable. I kept up with two of the faster male cyclists. Then the downhill came...
There is nothing comparable to the feeling of flying down a mountain at 30+ mph with the wind hitting you in the face and watching the world fly by!
I kept up with the two guys most of the way, but eventually they slipped ahead. They waited for me at one point. I caught up and then they flew ahead again. I found them waiting at the bottom of the hill near the first stop sign we had arrived to early that morning.
When I reached the two guys, one of them stated, "If you keep riding in a year, which you should, you are going to be really good!"
The day ended with a bbq at Carol's house.
It was such a lovely adventure. Incredible views, amazing people, delicious food, nice weather and such a fun time!
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