DREAM RIDE 2010?So really... you can’t take responsibility for people who willfully sign up to do something.. of their own free will.. right?
The Dream Ride Lancaster Century.... a spectacular 100 miles of elevationious changes, in 100 degree heat..was truly one of the most entertaining, scenic and challenging courses in the area....
And with this year’s inferno temperatures, even Satan himself watched from his shaded stoop shaking his head at the handful of knuckleheads attempting this ride.
Sometimes.. just sometimes....you meet people in your life that make you realize that...if you were to go to war... you would want them on your side....three of those people were with me today...
Joe, Denise, and Jim.
The day started off at 4am and it’s already 80 degrees.. the expected high was around 100 with heat indexes well above that. At 100 does it really matter what the heat index is?? !
We arrived at the start and started loading my bike at the amazement of people who asked if we or excuse me I... was going on a coast to coast tour.. so yes ok..I pack enough so that if I were perhaps to get l
ost for a couple of days.. I would be SELF SUFFICIENT..BUT HECK...I was a Girl Scout you know.. prepared!!!We were on the road by 6:25am.. with a few banters back and forth of who was leading and which way we were going and then laughter and giggles and joyful abounds, sprints and smiles.. and happiness... for the first 30 miles..
So listen.. I tell you the first really big climb is around mile 43... and dude I need a really bigger set of lungs.. legs and a motor...how do they do that!?... Joe and Denise, up they go......damn light SKINNY people...heat.. heat..D-MN Its hoT... and try and BREATH.....legs... are... starting ... to ..seize.. up... up ... and up..
I am going to fall the F- OVER.... I get to the top...out.. of ... breath... gasping....Joe and Denise waiting for Jim and I....I tell them... through gasps that I think Jim was helping an ole man...
See smart Wendy kept Jim BEHIND her ....well at least on some of the hills... just in case I fell backwards.. you know so he could catch me...
So Jim.. the good Samaritan... STOPS in the middle of the GIANT hill to help a man with directions...... and then has to regain momentum just to make it back up... dude.. you deserve a medal for that one... hey and by the way... did ya notice that since Joe and Denise got up those blasted hills before us they got to rest a bit waiting for us!?.. and then didn’t let us rest.> WTF!... Jim mumbled to me that was some hill... and like YEAH!!...
You know when you are at the point in the hill when your legs seize up... you really have only two choices.. either stop and walk a bit or fall over.. I took the later... I got off my bike a few more times this year than last.. but I figured since it was now hovering over 90 degrees ... well that was acceptable.......
Then there was music... we have GOT to keep this Jim man
around... I am like where the heck is that music coming from???......Jim is like our own sound man.... these droids...So a little over the half way point ..rest stop... mileage is 66.66.... NO SHIT... told you when I said it was the Furnace 666..think I was kidding!?.. ....the ice packs they gave us ... were truly delightful.
Sometimes the reason you do something is not always the reason you end it.
Each of us had our individual reasons for doing the ride today... whether for training, time to think, for exercise, or just to say we did it, whatever the reason I know I needed to do this for my training... ..
what Joe, Denise, and Jim did it for.. I don’t know.. they would have to say... but what I do know.. this ride not only tested my mental strength it also tested Joe, Denise, and Jim’s mental strength.
At mile 80....MILE 80...Jim made mention that he could not go on..we all felt it.. Jim just vocalized it.... he was feeling extreme discomfort, pain in the legs, said he pulled something and that he was done.
I looked at him and not seeing any bones sticking out... said.. "NO you’re not"....
He said, "OH REALLY, I think I am.". .....I was a bit quiet... not sure how to motivate someone at this point who has done more than they ever have in their life... but I looked at him.. and there still was soo much fire left... I could feel it...
"Get something to drink... eat....rest a bit"...
Of course I didn’t think he would actually listen. I mean NO ONE.. really listens to me.. about the good stuff that is.. BUT...when I said to rest..I didn’t MEAN LAY DOWN AND DIE...
I marched myself over and told him in no uncertain terms that he was to get his fat lazy ass up and that if he needed me to massage his leg I would...that he had only 20 miles to go and that he could do it ...in his freaking sleep...!!
Perhaps I should feel offended that my massage offer didn’t even muster even a twitch of his finger...as Jim made NO ATTEMPT to acknowledge my existence.
NOW before you all go thinking I’m the epitome of hell..... I knew that if he dropped out now... he would regret it forever... and unless he was broken he could finish... I KNEW HE COULD... he just had to know he could.. ..
You can’t teach what he learned... how to quiet those demons..you have to be a person of utter superior strength internally and externally to make those demons STOP... those demons that say.. my legs are shot, I can’t go on.. I am tired, why am I doing this any way, I’m too old, too slow, too whatever... Jim beat those demons today.....
But let’s go back a bit.. so as Jim is laying there I tell him and Joe... that us gals (Denise and I) are going ahead... not waiting...
I was hoping I knew Jim as well as I did.. that he would see that yes its DREADFULLY hot.. UNGODLY HOT....and YES he should be in pain.. JEEZ US!!!.. its 100 miles... and that if he wasn’t in pain then he hadn’t done enough... and YES two gals are going ahead.. and he is sitting in the shade...
I knew... he would get his helmet back on and he and Joe would go on.... we didn’t see him do this.. but I knew he would... I knew he would be coming for us..
Of course Denise and I did have a chuckle about 5 miles down the road when we thought of ... what if one of us gets a flat tire?.. you know damn well the guys will pass us with their middle fingers in the air... and that would make us smile...
The gals brought in the last 20 miles... and yes happy... claps when we finished.. not sure if because THANK GOD they are finally done or WOW impressive that they did it.. either case .. it was nice... even the comment.. they are...gurls..... Denise and I finished at 3:45pm.
Joe and Jim showed up about 20 minutes later.. and I had the biggest smile on my face... because I KNEW THEY COULD DO IT... no one quits on my watch...
Although, Joe didn’t speak to me for about 20 minutes.. it wasn’t because he was mad...he was just physically UNABLE to speak..... and not sure if the temps ended up being 99 or 100 degrees and the index being like 110 or something ... did it matter?....with 9 hours on the road... 5,000 calories burned...and god knows how many elevation changes..
If I had to go to war.. I’m taking Joe, Denise, and Jim with me...
