We rolled around the hill and then south east out Pennsylvania Ave. The group got broken up by stop lights and then I dropped a bottle and got even further behind. The lead group was long gone now so I tried to find a few people to ride with, including our friend Paul. And then we saw TJ on the side of the road fixing a flat. Paul stopped and I decided to slow down and let them catch up. They never did and just about every other rider that was lagging passed me so I decided to join two of them rather than ride on my own. At the aid station there were a few people milling about, the lead group having long ago pulled out. I listened to a former marine make some bossy statements about how to ride to finish, linking my name in the statement as the only other member of the group that had done the ride. I decided I didn’t want to be bossed around and let them roll out of the station, hoping that TJ and Paul would roll up. I waited and I waited and when a volunteer rolled up in his car saying they were several miles behind and that I should just go, I did. I rode the next 26 miles by myself. And when I got to the aid station I joined up with a few others (no marine, thankfully). TJ caught up and we worked together to get to the next aid station. I found myself being a little bossy, suggesting that we each take 2 minute pulls so we keep the pace and everyone gets a chance to rest. Otherwise we’d end up with one guy, pulling a good pace initially but then dropping off. And with all these type A’s, the group would crack because someone would get sick of riding in the back and move up with fierce determination, only to fade after a few minutes and the whole thing would repeat.
And then we picked up a few more at the next aid station, getting an escort across the Solomon Islands bridge. And again we got a group going, trying to keep the 2 min pulls. But we were going through town with a naval base and there were lots of lights and stops. I was feeling very strong. And then we finally got out to the open road and we pushed the pace. There were two riders ahead and I pulled in front and pulled us along. And we caught the other two riders who joined our pace line. And then we slowed to take a left on Route 5 and something happened. My heart started pounding; my HR went from 152 bpm to 220. Normally I would say that is a malfunction with the watch and transmitter unit. But the pounding made me wonder; I backed off the pace, letting everyone get ahead of me. My HR slowed to 215, then 210 and we finally pulled into the park. When I rolled up to the picnic group all I could think about was ice in my jersey and a cold drink down my throat. I figured it was dehydration and heat that was getting me.
After about 5 min my heart stopped pounding and all of the sudden my HR dropped to 90. Normal. I ate a PBJ sandwich, hit the rest room and then decided it was time to roll with the big boys. It’s about 25 miles to the first aid station on the way back. We had a good pace group going and then TJ got a flat. Mark and I stayed back with him, finding the shade of a small tree to keep somewhat cool. The temperature was getting into the 90s and we were all feeling it. We finally got rolling and up over the bridge to the aid station. Luckily the stop was at a bike shop so TJ was able to get a new tire and replenish his CO2 and spare tube supply. The lead group was ready to roll but TJ asked if I would wait with him and I did. I probably should have rolled and let him catch up with the next group, but I used the time to drink some extra water, bring my body temp back closer to normal. Finally after about 30 minutes we were ready to roll. By this time a larger group had assembled and we went out together. Somehow our friends Kip and Robert had energy like you wouldn’t believe. They pretty much pulled us all to the next aid station. And that’s where we found Chad, hot and miserable sitting in the shade. The number of bikes on the back of the van was up to three and another car had two bikes on it.
We stayed at the stop for a few extra minutes to let Chad recover. Then he, Alexi, Robert, Kip, TJ and Garth and I rolled out. We had to keep the pace down to stay together; we took turns yelling at Kip, who took off like a bat out of hell everytime he was in the front. At one point we realized we were losing Chad and decided to pull off the road at about mile 170. We stopped at a Citgo and luckily at this point Chad realized he was too dehydrated to continue. Everyone else rolled and we called Christal for van support. None of us wanted to go with Chad to the hospital if he continued; thankfully he realized himself he shouldn’t go on and we didn’t have to get into a fight about it. Once the van pulled in I tried to haul it to the next aid station so the guys wouldn’t have to wait too long. An ambulance spend past me, then a fire truck. And I was a little worried about my friends that were about 7 minutes up the road from me, and about my husband, who was in a van somewhere up the road from me. But then a few minutes up the road I saw the firetruck pulling out of a neighborhood. At least I had something besides the miles I was riding to think about.
At the aid station I tried to eat something, got a little more ice in my drink and after a minute was ready to roll. At this point I was not hungry for any food, particularly anything sweet. I was forcing myself to drink, knowing I needed it. And I munched on a few chips, hoping the salt would help. I even ate a soggy cookie. Needless to say it was all pretty gross at that point. But we had just 20 miles to go!!
When we rolled out we decided to keep the pace manageable so we could all stay together. Route 4 has a lot of traffic, with several exit and entry ramps that are short and fast. A rumble strip divided the bike lane from the road and by this time all the salt and sweat in my shorts was making me pretty uncomfortable. Everytime we rolled over a bump or those rumble strips I was gritting my teeth. I couldn’t wait to get off my bike. And then with 11 miles left to go we hit the series of traffic lights. We hit every red light except for 2 I think. And as we were coming across the Penn Ave bridge I was thinking we could go bear right and hit Barney Circle. In actuality, you can’t. TJ and I ended up jumping the guard rail to get to the sidewalk. And we rode up 17th St right to our house. The time was 7:40 pm. Chad was still there, getting ready to go to Eric and Christal’s for the post-ride celebration. He looked so much better! And coherent.
We only stayed at the party for a few minutes. I was too tired to be social – all I wanted was to put my feet up and rest. All in all, I ended up with a ride time of about 10 hrs 20 minutes. Somehow the way back was actually faster than the way out. The splits were about 5:15, 5:05. But total ride time was about 12:40. That is a loooong day. Next year I might consider volunteering again. Then again, I might like to be a little more aggressive next year and try to stick with the lead group. First I need to recover fully.
Here’s a picture of Chad and TJ the night before, dressed in their IronMaiden best. Thanks for reading this long report. It was a long day; not succinct at all.
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