We woke up early Sunday morning to head over to the Palmer
Event Center for the race start at 7:30 am. Luckily, our condo was just
over a mile from the starting line so Dad, Lefty and I just rode our bikes
over.
 |
| Bear, Bug and Lefty leaving for the race |
We got to the start just as Lance Armstrong was giving his welcome
speech. With everything that is going on with him, it was still good to
hear him speak as a cancer survivor. I took one of the dedication cards
that we filled out on Friday that noted me as a survivor and put it on the back
of my jersey with my race number. There were so many other people there
with the same dedication card on their jersey. It was a bit overwhelming
since this is one of the first times I've been in a place so focused on survivors.
It really hit me hard that I'm in that same group now - not something I ever
imagined and frankly something I've had a hard time accepting, even though it's
approaching a year from my diagnosis. But I took some very deep breaths
before the race started to calm my nerves - it also helped that I was wearing
my sunglasses so no one could see the tears in my eyes :)
I was very worried about the actual biking though. We were in Texas hill country - definitely nothing compared to the hills we have in Seattle but I've been pretty much unable to bike any hills since I started chemo so I was not as well-trained as I'd like. Also, my longest training ride had been 10 miles so 18 was going to be a stretch. But since it was an out and back course, I just kept telling myself that I didn't have to get all the way to the mid-point turnaround. I could turn around any time I wanted. Before I got cancer, I would never have accepted even the thought of giving up without doing the whole thing but that has certainly changed.
We headed out with the other 18 mile riders and almost immediately we came to our first hill - or I should say "hill" - there was definitely an elevation change but more like a bump in the road. But it was a massacre - riders stopping in the middle of the road to get off and walk or put their chain back on the gears. Pretty much chaos. But we maneuvered our way through that part. There were some bigger and longer hills in the beginning and I did struggle through those. But I never had to get off my bike and walk. During one particularly hard hill, a guy biked past me and he looked like he did 100 mile rides on his Saturday mornings just for fun. But I think he was just there to encourage anyone who needed it and I guess I looked like I needed it. He rode next to me up the hill telling me I was doing great and that I had "great form." I guess that's something to be proud of! But it did help. About half-way through the out portion of the ride, it flattened out and I was able to find my grove. Then we really started moving. We took a nice break at the turnaround point and got some of the food and water they provided. Then back on our bikes for the return leg. Then we started flying. It was mostly downhill and the wind was at our back. We hit 25-30 miles an hour down some of the hills. Before I knew it, we were back at the finish line. The race coordinators did a pretty bad job of measuring the 18 mile course cause it was only 16.5 miles but I'll take it. I was definitely tired when we finished but it still felt great. They had survivors go down a special finishers shoot to collect their yellow roses and as they announced all the finishers, they called out all the survivors as well.
I was very worried about the actual biking though. We were in Texas hill country - definitely nothing compared to the hills we have in Seattle but I've been pretty much unable to bike any hills since I started chemo so I was not as well-trained as I'd like. Also, my longest training ride had been 10 miles so 18 was going to be a stretch. But since it was an out and back course, I just kept telling myself that I didn't have to get all the way to the mid-point turnaround. I could turn around any time I wanted. Before I got cancer, I would never have accepted even the thought of giving up without doing the whole thing but that has certainly changed.
We headed out with the other 18 mile riders and almost immediately we came to our first hill - or I should say "hill" - there was definitely an elevation change but more like a bump in the road. But it was a massacre - riders stopping in the middle of the road to get off and walk or put their chain back on the gears. Pretty much chaos. But we maneuvered our way through that part. There were some bigger and longer hills in the beginning and I did struggle through those. But I never had to get off my bike and walk. During one particularly hard hill, a guy biked past me and he looked like he did 100 mile rides on his Saturday mornings just for fun. But I think he was just there to encourage anyone who needed it and I guess I looked like I needed it. He rode next to me up the hill telling me I was doing great and that I had "great form." I guess that's something to be proud of! But it did help. About half-way through the out portion of the ride, it flattened out and I was able to find my grove. Then we really started moving. We took a nice break at the turnaround point and got some of the food and water they provided. Then back on our bikes for the return leg. Then we started flying. It was mostly downhill and the wind was at our back. We hit 25-30 miles an hour down some of the hills. Before I knew it, we were back at the finish line. The race coordinators did a pretty bad job of measuring the 18 mile course cause it was only 16.5 miles but I'll take it. I was definitely tired when we finished but it still felt great. They had survivors go down a special finishers shoot to collect their yellow roses and as they announced all the finishers, they called out all the survivors as well.
 |
| Bug riding into the finishing chutes |
It was an amazing experience overall. A great way to celebrate being
cancer-free. Coming to the finish line, I felt like I had conquered
something so much more than just a bike ride.
 |
| Lefty, Bug and Bear after the race. Notice Bug's yellow rose. |
No comments:
Post a Comment