The alarm went off at 5:30AM as planned. I didn’t get as much sleep as I had hoped
because I was in San Diego for a one-day Microsoft Azure event the day before, but hey
isn’t that what coffee is for? I grabbed a cup of coffee and a bit of breakfast before
loading up the bike and heading down to the Queen Mary. Jen was scheduled to work one of the rest
stops along the way and didn’t need to be there until 8:30. Turns out it was a good thing she didn’t
need to be there early…
As soon as I got there I realized something was wrong. I hadn’t even unloaded my bike when I realized I forgot my cycling shoes! I have only had them for a few weeks and I guess I’m not yet in the habit of grabbing them. My ride wasn’t leaving until 8:30 and fortunately we live close to the Queen Mary so Jen was able to bring them to me there before going to her assigned spot. For those who don’t know, cycling shoes ‘clip’ into specialized pedals so you can gain power by pulling as well as pushing the pedals. To ride with sneakers would have nearly impossible because the top of these type of pedals are smooth – with nothing to grip they would slide right off.
Now that I was properly dressed I headed off to the staging area. I found my teammates, signed in and got (another) cup of coffee as I waited for our launch. Hiro and Jackie went on the 61 mile ride and launched at 7:45. Erni (Hiro's wife) and Deb went on the 11 mile ride which left at the same time as the 33 mile ride Alex (our club leader) and I went on. Sue was signed up for the 33 mile ride, not sure if she changed her mind and did the 11 mile instead. She was worried about doing all the hills...
We launched about 8:40 and were in a loose pack as we traversed downtown Long Beach. The previous weekend was the Long Beach Grand Prix and many of the barriers and grandstands were still in place. Our cycling traffic was certainly moving slower today than the Indy Cars were moving last weekend. :) About a mile into the ride we rode over their finish line and I exclaimed “Finish line – we’re done!” which got quite a few laughs from my fellow riders.
A short time later we turned west and were looking straight at the Gerald Desmond bridge. If you’re reading this you probably know I have a fear of heights, and this was the part I was dreading – not only this bridge but the Vincent Thomas Bridge in the distance. This one was a shorter span but had a higher angle while the latter is much longer but not as steep. With friends next to me and Earth, Wind and Fire playing from my old HTC 8X cell phone I tacked the first bridge with no problem. Well, OK it was difficult... but I was up for it. We waited at the top for the rest of our riders, I snapped off a picture before we pressed on. Near the bottom of the bridge one of the riders had crashed; I didn't see it but the back of his helmet was badly damaged yet he was sitting up as he was being attended to by volunteers. I made sure my downhill descents were a bit slower after that. That was the only issue I have heard about during the ride.
As soon as I got there I realized something was wrong. I hadn’t even unloaded my bike when I realized I forgot my cycling shoes! I have only had them for a few weeks and I guess I’m not yet in the habit of grabbing them. My ride wasn’t leaving until 8:30 and fortunately we live close to the Queen Mary so Jen was able to bring them to me there before going to her assigned spot. For those who don’t know, cycling shoes ‘clip’ into specialized pedals so you can gain power by pulling as well as pushing the pedals. To ride with sneakers would have nearly impossible because the top of these type of pedals are smooth – with nothing to grip they would slide right off.
Now that I was properly dressed I headed off to the staging area. I found my teammates, signed in and got (another) cup of coffee as I waited for our launch. Hiro and Jackie went on the 61 mile ride and launched at 7:45. Erni (Hiro's wife) and Deb went on the 11 mile ride which left at the same time as the 33 mile ride Alex (our club leader) and I went on. Sue was signed up for the 33 mile ride, not sure if she changed her mind and did the 11 mile instead. She was worried about doing all the hills...
We launched about 8:40 and were in a loose pack as we traversed downtown Long Beach. The previous weekend was the Long Beach Grand Prix and many of the barriers and grandstands were still in place. Our cycling traffic was certainly moving slower today than the Indy Cars were moving last weekend. :) About a mile into the ride we rode over their finish line and I exclaimed “Finish line – we’re done!” which got quite a few laughs from my fellow riders.
A short time later we turned west and were looking straight at the Gerald Desmond bridge. If you’re reading this you probably know I have a fear of heights, and this was the part I was dreading – not only this bridge but the Vincent Thomas Bridge in the distance. This one was a shorter span but had a higher angle while the latter is much longer but not as steep. With friends next to me and Earth, Wind and Fire playing from my old HTC 8X cell phone I tacked the first bridge with no problem. Well, OK it was difficult... but I was up for it. We waited at the top for the rest of our riders, I snapped off a picture before we pressed on. Near the bottom of the bridge one of the riders had crashed; I didn't see it but the back of his helmet was badly damaged yet he was sitting up as he was being attended to by volunteers. I made sure my downhill descents were a bit slower after that. That was the only issue I have heard about during the ride.
Two miles later came the Vincent Thomas Bridge which was much harder, but again we all made it to the top. After we all took a few pictures we started down the backside of the bride heading for the rest stop at Ports O’ Call.
Well, not all of us… As soon as my foot pressed the right pedal I got a cramp in my calf. The worst cramp I have ever had!
I have a high pain threshold; I broke my thumb playing hockey two months ago, and didn’t miss a shift (including the one where I actually broke the thumb) much less a game because of it, but this was nasty. One of the other riders who may have had some medical training (I heard someone call him Doctor something or other) came over and gave me some tips as I stretched it, and I stayed behind about 5 more minutes before I resumed riding and it felt OK but not quite right. A few minutes later I saw Alex on the side of the road with his bike upside down with a flat tire. I stopped and stayed with him as he quickly repaired it. Then we moved on, uneventfully, to the rest stop.
DECISION TIME: Do I turn back?
This was where the 11 mile ride ended. Those folks were having their bikes loaded into trucks and the riders took a harbor cruise back to Long Beach where they were to be reunited. The rest of our teammates were nowhere to be found so we assumed they all went back (we never did catch up to Sue so we assumed she went back too). Alex did a little maintenance on his bike while I refilled my Gatorade bottle and grabbed a banana and some strawberries.
My calf was still tight, but not bad. If I continued the ride there was no turning back, I’d miss the boat and would still have to ride all the way back to the Queen Mary. I actually thought about turning back. But then I thought of all the people who contributed to the cause on my behalf, and the 29 million Americans who have Diabetes. As I took out my cell phone to text Jen that we had cleared the bridges I found a card I placed in my bag a few days earlier... one of my supporters left me a card of encouragement a few days earlier and I wanted to have it with me to keep me going. How could I face her and my other supporters at work tomorrow and say, “Yeah, well, you know I got a cramp and it really hurt so I only completed 1/3 of my ride?” I was still reading the card when Alex came up to me and said “Ready to go?” Yes, I was. :)
I had a running joke with Alex about the possibility of using his name in vain during the ride for convincing me to go this far. It IS a joke (you knew that, right Alex?). Originally he approached me about six months ago and asked if I would support him in the ride. I told him I wasn't going to just support him – I was going to ride with him! I knew the hard part of the ride wasn’t the bridges we just cleared, it was the hills in Palos Verdes. I rode through part of PV last Saturday in a tour-sponsored training event, but what we rode then was the back-side of the route – which only the 100 and 61 mile riders rode. The next 9 miles had us ascend 1840 feet according to my cyclometer. This was even harder than dealing with my fear of heights going over the bridges! I had been told that one spot in particular was especially tough, and that most riders end up walking their bikes up it. It was about a 10% grade, and just when you thought you had completed it the road turned to the left and you saw that you were only half-way there. Alex made it all the way, but I only made it about half way of each section. If I hadn't done those darn bridges I might have made it! I wasn’t alone, some riders walked the entire way. Shortly afterwards we were on level ground and overlooking Long Beach - we could see the Queen Mary in the distance and it seemed so far away. Then finally we started to reap the rewards of our hard work as most of the rest of the way to Rest Stop 2 was downhill.
And for the record: I never did anyone's name in vain during the entire ride. :)
More fruit, top-off the Gatorade bottle again, drink a little water... Let me tell you, the ride coordinators really did a FANTASTIC job at the rest areas, they really took care of the riders! The wind was starting to pick up but it was still nice and cool as we resumed. Just 13 miles separated us from the finish line. I was told later there was supposed to be one more rest area between where we where and the finish line, but they closed up early and I never knew where they were.
THE FINAL STRETCH: Downhill at its finest.
For the next 4 miles or so we were riding mostly downhill, but after the accident I saw earlier I was riding the brakes pretty hard and Alex got ahead of me. He stopped a few times to let me catch up but eventually we were separated. I didn’t mind, he is a much more accomplished rider and part of his reason for sacrificing part of his ride to ride with me; I was thankful that he stayed with me during the rough parts of the ride and was OK with him kicking it into gear during the final stretch. We were on flat ground for several miles as we rode through the port again, and my legs were starting to recover and I was surprised to see that without even trying I was picking up speed again. I was so in the zone that I didn't even notice my music had stopped playing! There were a few tall overpasses to clear, but much easier than the two monster bridges we traversed before. Soon we turned right and were headed into downtown Long Beach. A couple quick turns later I was on a bike path and I was treated to the sight of the nearby Queen Mary! One more overpass to climb, and like a rookie I started out way too fast and used more energy than I should have. My thighs were burning as I neared the crest, but I was able to persevere and soon I was coasting down to the bottom. About 500 yards later I was cheered on as I crossed the finish line.
For the next 4 miles or so we were riding mostly downhill, but after the accident I saw earlier I was riding the brakes pretty hard and Alex got ahead of me. He stopped a few times to let me catch up but eventually we were separated. I didn’t mind, he is a much more accomplished rider and part of his reason for sacrificing part of his ride to ride with me; I was thankful that he stayed with me during the rough parts of the ride and was OK with him kicking it into gear during the final stretch. We were on flat ground for several miles as we rode through the port again, and my legs were starting to recover and I was surprised to see that without even trying I was picking up speed again. I was so in the zone that I didn't even notice my music had stopped playing! There were a few tall overpasses to clear, but much easier than the two monster bridges we traversed before. Soon we turned right and were headed into downtown Long Beach. A couple quick turns later I was on a bike path and I was treated to the sight of the nearby Queen Mary! One more overpass to climb, and like a rookie I started out way too fast and used more energy than I should have. My thighs were burning as I neared the crest, but I was able to persevere and soon I was coasting down to the bottom. About 500 yards later I was cheered on as I crossed the finish line.
The final stats: according to my cyclometer:
Distance: 33.3 miles in 2:52 (moving time) for just over an 11mph pace
Including rest stops and repair time the time was 4:01 or just over 8mph
Distance: 33.3 miles in 2:52 (moving time) for just over an 11mph pace
Including rest stops and repair time the time was 4:01 or just over 8mph
Overall I am happy with my performance. I overcame my fear of heights, and given the amount of climbing we did I’m happy with the pace. I really didn’t train on hills very much, which is something I will be working on more in preparation for next years’ ride.
And for next year, I have an idea on how to do better at fundraising. Not ready to announce it yet but instead of just asking people to donate as I did this year, my plan is to provide them with something in return as well as my gratitude. Stay tuned…
THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL OF MY SUPPORTERS! To those of you who supported me financially as well as in spirit - please know that I couldn’t have done this without you!!!
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