Bike VA

So, this weekend I participated in Bike VA, a moving annual bicycle event. There's a week-long ride and a weekend option, and I (and my friend Robin) opted for the latter. The registration was pretty steep for a weekend, and the hills freaked me out, but it looked like a cool event.

Which it is - the people riding are awesome, and the countryside we biked through was utterly gorgeous. And while the hills did not stop me in my tracks as I expected, they really cut down on what I was able to do each day.

Exacerbating my physical challenges were the lack of appropriate support from the ride organizers. I was really bummed by the lack of nutritional food on the routes as well as the presence of only warm water, even though it was in the 80s. Going up those hills, I could feel my core temperature soaring, and every ride left me drenched. I started riding slowly in any shade I encountered.

Worst of all, as I looked at the short route the final day, there was no stop over 20 miles. None. No water station. The bike I was borrowing had 2 bottle holders, thank goodness, but when I opted to ride the 34 mile route and rolled in to the rest stop at mile 16, I had very little water left.

I did, however, have the excellent fortune to ride a demo bike from Specialized on Saturday. I Googled it after getting back to the B&B on Friday and panicked when I saw the price, terrified that I would wreck and inadvertently buy a $4800 bike. Yes. $4800. I did not wreck; in fact, I fell in love and if I ever win the lottery, will be buying that bike. It was a true dream to ride.

What did I learn over this weekend? I learned that sometimes, I truly underestimate my ability. That I am more of an athlete than I think. That I am insanely stubborn about getting things done, even the last 300 feet up a hill. That sometimes, you get what you pay for and sometimes you do not. And in the end, hanging out with amazingly cool people and flying down a hill on a bike can make everything else less of a big deal, at least for a moment.