Biking Makes Me Strong! Redux
Yesterday I rode in the Tri State Tour, from Hammond IN to Kenosha WI. I did this same ride with Bill 3 years ago and I really have a soft spot for the ride as my first century.
This year, I was on my own. Very literally - I biked down to Hammond on Friday night to stay at the Super 8 (dear god never again! ugh). That meant packing all of my overnight and bike gear in a backpack, since the bike I was riding does not have a rack. I have no idea how much it weighed but it was heavy. Thankfully the ride has a gear check so I didn't have to ride to Kenosha with it!
So I woke up Saturday morning and rode on over to the start. There were 56 riders registered but several dropped out due to the weather forecast, which was calling for storms. The sky darkened as we waited for the start time and my phone told me there were lightning strikes nearby. Yay!
As we rode to Chicago, the skies opened. And poured down. And down. And down. After about 2 minutes, there was no point caring because we were so soaked. The water collected on the path, mud slid on to the path, and we rolled through it all. When we hit the first rest stop I realized I was right behind the fastest group.
For the rest of the day, I was pulling in to rest stops as the leaders were still there. I was the only female I saw all day. The guys started joking with me that I was just there to mess with them; one guy I'd been riding with called me She-Ra. Another guy said I was challenging him to ride harder. I was pleased when they included me in the group leaving the last rest stop for the end.
Unfortunately I got a flat on the last leg - but 2 guys were kind enough to stay and help. When we reached the end, one guy egged me on to finish the century; we recruited a 3rd rider and were the only ones to finish it.
Even with the flat, this was my best ride yet. Not just the time or speed, but being able to pull and not just sucking wheel. Having done the same ride 3 years ago, I can really tell the difference; I can even see improvement from last summer. Which is really exciting.
I'm not that fast - I'd be in the slowest group on a club ride - but knowing I am getting better, and stronger, is wonderful. Biking makes me strong; biking more makes me stronger.
This year, I was on my own. Very literally - I biked down to Hammond on Friday night to stay at the Super 8 (dear god never again! ugh). That meant packing all of my overnight and bike gear in a backpack, since the bike I was riding does not have a rack. I have no idea how much it weighed but it was heavy. Thankfully the ride has a gear check so I didn't have to ride to Kenosha with it!
So I woke up Saturday morning and rode on over to the start. There were 56 riders registered but several dropped out due to the weather forecast, which was calling for storms. The sky darkened as we waited for the start time and my phone told me there were lightning strikes nearby. Yay!
As we rode to Chicago, the skies opened. And poured down. And down. And down. After about 2 minutes, there was no point caring because we were so soaked. The water collected on the path, mud slid on to the path, and we rolled through it all. When we hit the first rest stop I realized I was right behind the fastest group.
For the rest of the day, I was pulling in to rest stops as the leaders were still there. I was the only female I saw all day. The guys started joking with me that I was just there to mess with them; one guy I'd been riding with called me She-Ra. Another guy said I was challenging him to ride harder. I was pleased when they included me in the group leaving the last rest stop for the end.
Unfortunately I got a flat on the last leg - but 2 guys were kind enough to stay and help. When we reached the end, one guy egged me on to finish the century; we recruited a 3rd rider and were the only ones to finish it.
Even with the flat, this was my best ride yet. Not just the time or speed, but being able to pull and not just sucking wheel. Having done the same ride 3 years ago, I can really tell the difference; I can even see improvement from last summer. Which is really exciting.
I'm not that fast - I'd be in the slowest group on a club ride - but knowing I am getting better, and stronger, is wonderful. Biking makes me strong; biking more makes me stronger.
posted by polkagrl @ 11:00 PM
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