A Flock of Seagulls

The Seagull Century - okay, okay, the title is pretty lame but it was too tempting to pass up.

Much like my trip to NC in August, I left my fate up to priceline on Friday night. I set a certain price I thought would never be accepted for a hotel. Obviously, it was accepted (otherwise I could have never used that title). I guess I'm going to Salisbury !

I ran into a couple of guys (from Arlington) unloading bikes as I arrived at the hotel. Chatting for a few minutes, I informed them that this would be my first ever century (at this time I was planning on doing the Metric, but who's counting?). One of them replied "ooh, a virgin." Before I could stop myself, I replied "it's been a while since anyone called me that." I thought they were going to fall down laughing. I am nothing if not entertaining.

That 30% chance of showers I saw on NOAA night turned into 100% chance of rain by the time I got to the starting area. Sommers called to let me know the DC Velo camp started early - he was chasing to catch on and I was at least 20mins behind if I started that second. Other friends I tried to connect with were caught up in traffic or not answering phones, so off I went. At first I thought that this was a mistake, I should have stayed home. But, I was here to ride my bike and I decided I was going to make a run at it.

There were people everywhere. Bikes ranged from TT rigs and hot-rod race bikes to lead-sleds with baskets and mountain bikes. I even passed a guy on a fixie. It was awesome. As I got up to speed, I tried my hardest to be nice when passing or dodging people. I knew I looked like an arse, fully kitted up, matching bar tape etc. These folks were riders and didn't appreciate racers for the most part. Much less one in pig-tails. But they were ALL OVER the road. Apparently the masses ride like they drive. That whole ride-right, pass-left concept is passe. I was going pretty well and making great time, but witnessing several near misses scared the crap out of me. Me - adverse to falling, remember ?? Good thing I employed acronyms to vent my (impatient and shallow) frustrations.

I settled into my rabbit-greyhound thing, chasing and passing groups like it was my job. One guy came back and passed me and I, knowing that I couldn't do this by myself for 60miles, latched on after riding up, introducing myself and letting him know I was back there. I took my turns and we'd chat for a second as we passed each other. I made an admittedly sarcastic but kidding comment about him leading me through traffic and he snapped back that he didnt ask me to follow him. Oookay. I went off by myself and a few minutes later (right before the first rest stop) he caught and passed me. I didn't really get it but, whatever.

I hooked up with a college-team-type paceline after getting going again- some of the guys were clearly racer-types, but others were in toe-clips and were having trouble covering gaps. After asking if it was okay, I jumped on to close a gap, winding up third wheel. Glad I made the move when I did - a couple minutes later there was the familiar sound of someone hitting the deck. It was one of the college-team's riders, so after making sure everyone was okay, I went on by myself.

It wasn't long before I hooked up with another strong rider -I was passing and before I knew it, he was taking his pull and we were clear of the group. Another rider joined us and we started charging pretty hard with a very smooth paceline ... We passed a ton of riders - some seemed surprised to have us pass so hard, especially if some chick in pig-tails and neon-green was on the front. There were several comments coming from the guys when they realized a girl just passed them. Not for nothing, that always makes me smile a little. I noticed the markings on the road where the metric split off. We were flying and I mentally registered that I had just made the commitment to the full ride. But this was too much fun for me to pull out now. We passed right by the 2nd feed where I briefly said hi to Robyn (Artemis)- very cool to see familiar friendly faces !

Another rider joined as we were chasing a strong group ahead of us. (when I went to introduce myself to him at the rest stop, he said he knew who I was, he follows our Team blog. I sometimes forget that people DO actually read the stuff we post!) Before I knew it, we were at the Assateague rest stop - I was tired but not beat. Honestly, I was thrilled with how the ride was going - both with the pace and the friendly people and conversations I was lucky enough to experience. What a great atmosphere.

Sommers came back to retrieve me at Assateague after "taking a phone call" (translation: getting dropped?) and losing the DC Velo paceline. Anyway, Mark was kind enough to pace me all the way to the Cherry Pie stop. We need a feedzone in road races like the Cherry Pie stop at the century. By now I was getting toasty and was thankful for Mark's steady pace. I did wish he had eaten some more pie or a burger or something, he's race-fit and doesn't afford much of a draft. I didn't know it then, but we had a pretty big crowd with us. Everyone was pretty quiet, just marking miles. Speaking of miles, everytime I asked where something was or how much we had to go, Mark's pat-answer was "7 miles". Never believe him if he says 7 miles. When I said as much, he switched to "count to 1000 pedal strokes and we'll be there". No fair.

The last little incline (not a hill, a big-ring incline) felt like a mountain. As we saw the finish, I heard the familiar sound of someone sprinting past me (usually it's my teammate as I finish my leadout- this time it was a complete idiot that sat on at the back and nearly took out the rest of the group to get the "win"). Everyone kind of shook their heads and laughed.

My shoulders hurt and my left knee was throbbing. I was tired, wet and my bike was a mess. But, I was happy. I had just finished a century. It seemed like an accomplishment of sorts. I know that, to lots of people, it's epic. There were Team In Training folks there from Texas and Nebraska. The two riders I hooked up with earlier have been doing this event for 17 years. There were signs cheering on Grandpa and Grandmom. At the end, people were cheering and clapping, celebrating a wonderful event and a personal achievement. I'm not going to pretend that there wasn't a moment where I got a little teary-eyed myself. But don't let that get around, okay ?



PS: riders above remain nameless in this post not because they don't have names, but because I didn't get permission to call them out before writing this.


PPS: I'll have more observations and commentary on this, I'm sure, but this post was getting long-winded, even for me.

TGIF - 10/9/09

My inconsistent blog posts have probably given away my motivation issues. After missing essentially the entire race season (especially after working so hard to come back after various traumas over the off-season), I've had a hard time talking myself into getting back into the saddle for anything more than a leisurely ride. Why bother suffering if it really doesn't matter ? Why sacrifice the time, effort, expense etc if it really amounts to NOTHING right now ? Even coach Slavedriver has pretty much left me to my own devices right now. What's the point ?

Team CycleLife pre-race. Thanks to Sonja, always taking the pics, never IN the pics!

The past two weekends have reminded me "what's the point". On Sept 29, Team CycleLife participated in Junior's Day Out, which included the Special Olympics Fall Games. Tracy Lea and her trusty crew do a fantastic job on this event and I can't say enough about the time and effort they put in each year. This was my first opportunity to be a part of the Special Olympics action and it was an amazing experience. The riders were so happy to be on their bikes - no typical testosterone-filled bike racer BS, just smiles from everyone when they heard their name as the crowd cheered every participant. These racers tried so hard to put forth their best effort, and that was enough for them. When it came time for their awards (clothing and other paraphernalia donated through Tracy's tireless efforts), they were so thrilled that they got to choose a jersey or a hat or a saddle bag. It was amazing - they loved us and remembered our names or that one of us rode the course with them or that a couple of us pushed them up the hill to finish the race. I can't say in words the overwhelming feeling I left with - I hope Tracy will have us back next year.

Wendy helping Melanie stay on track

Jen monitoring a clean pass on the course

I also found some motivation this past weekend, courtesy of Evelyn. Ev will, from time to time, include non-Artemsians in fun, off season activities. She included me on her email for a Beer Ride in Davidsonville. At the last minute, I decided I need to stop being a homebody and I need to start getting back to life. So, I showed up. Mona brought her husband, Bob (they were rockstars and kept a great pace with us, despite Bob's lead-sled) and ride leaders Ev and James kept us on track. The weather was beautiful, Davidsonville roads are mostly cycling friendly (I say roads, not traffic) and company was awesome. I went home after 3 hours or so of a good, steady pace thinking - oh, yeah ... I remember this feeling. I love my bike. I love riding. I love this sport.

I'm considering the Seagull tomorrow to continue my "get out and ride" theme, but am undecided thus far. Your mission ? Get out this weekend and remember why YOU love to ride.

Happy Friday !!

TGIF- 9/25/09

I'm going to spare you the normal friday rambling this week ... instead, I wanted to get the word out about an upcoming event being held by our title sponsor, CycleLife, featuring Dave Zabriskie's Yield to Life foundation.



Dave Zabriskie will be in town to promote the newly formed local chapter of his foundation, Yield to Life.

"It is my mission to humanize and personalize cyclists to help motorists to always be aware that we are "life" and that we deserve a safe space on the road. I love to ride my bike as do my fellow cyclists, but we should not have to place our lives at risk everyday for that enjoyment."

-David Zabriskie.

Yield to Life is a non-profit organization devoted to creating a safer environment for cyclists and, by so doing, encouraging more people to ride for their own health, the good of the environment and the well being of society. By making cycling safer and promoting the activity as a responsible means of transportation and a healthy means of recreation, Yield to Life can contribute to tackling some of today's major concerns—from such issues as pollution and global warming to obesity and diabetes. In this way, Yield to Life can play a role in increasing the quality of life not only for cyclists, but for everyone—for our generation and those to come.

Yield to Life’s Mission:

Yield to Life will engage in a vigorous awareness campaign to promote positive attitudes toward cyclists and replace any hostility that exists between motorists and cyclists with understanding, respect, and appreciation for all life on the road. Safety for every cyclist is the top priority of Yield to Life. Cycling is a healthy, life-affirming, environmentally-sound activity that adds value to anyone’s life. Since cyclists' lives are often in motorists’ hands, motorists must understand the vital role they play in a cyclist's safety

Yield to Life will concentrate on road-rule education programs for motorists and cyclists alike through driver's education programs, public awareness movements and media campaigns in order to ensure a safer and more harmonious environment for all those on the road.

Yield to Life will engage in a hands-on educational program with target audiences that range from school assemblies to corporate conventions. Workshops will be created to arm cyclists with tips for navigating through traffic and tools for riding in a safe and responsible manner.

Yield to Life will work on a database for cyclists to find the best, the safest and the most accommodating roads for commuting and for recreation.

FOR TICKET INFORMATION or to learn more about Dave's work off of the bike, please visit:

www.yieldtolife.org

Your support for this event and his foundation would be greatly appreciated.

Enjoy the weekend !!