The gears on my Trek got plenty of shifting this weekend as I rode/endured 160 out of 173 miles of the MS150 Bike Ride. We left Willard yesterday morning at 7 a.m. under bright blue cool skies – temp of about 58 – not knowing what tricks Mother Nature had in store for us. The ride was hilly – after all we’re in the Ozarks – but the day only required using my granny gear a couple of times. My friend Jill and I rode together and agreed at the lunch stop (mile 55 of the 90-mile day) that the ride wasn’t that bad and just hoped the rain would hold off. Unfortunately we hadn’t been back on the road for long before the raindrops started coming…..and coming….and coming some more. The 58 degrees we had earlier had now dropped to about 52 but we’re glad we didn’t know how cold it really was.
So on we rode – rain, cold, some hills – but the route had improved and we were determined. After all, last year we rode 62 miles in the rain on a warm day so we were feeling invincible! Yeah, right! At the last rest stop we got in a van to warm up – it took several minutes to bring my toes back to life since I was riding in my clipless bike sandals and naturally my socks, along with every other article of clothing not covered by my rain jacket, were completely soaked. When I exited the van, the outside air hit me like an arctic blast but hey, we only had 11 miles to do – how bad could it get?
A little before 3:00 we reached our destination of Joplin Middle School – put the bikes on the tennis court to be locked up for the night and went to claim our bags. I had visions of a hot shower at the school while Jill opted to take the shuttle to the motel and shower there. I went to get my bag with clean, dry clothes and it was missing – nowhere to be found. At this point I was shaking from the cold, couldn’t even use my fingers to push the button on my phone to answer a call from Burl and my mind was getting even more confused than normal – no bag, no clothes = no shower. What to do?
To my rescue came some wonderful volunteers who got me in front of a hand dryer to bring a little life to my hands, rustled up a towel so I could get in the shower and then found my bag. My vision of standing under a shower was quickly dashed – the locker-room showers were true water-savers with only a pee-stream of very hot water while I needed something more tepid. But I managed to finally get cleaned up and another volunteer brought me a hot cup of electrolytes guaranteed to warm me from the inside out which it did. Final diagnosis – I was very close to hypothermia – along with numerous other riders. Jill said when she got to the hotel her hands were so numb she couldn’t sign the register!
Burl joined me after he finished his volunteer job on the motorcycle, we got dinner and then I treated myself to a 1-hour full body massage. Thanks to massage therapist Debbie Jolley of Kneadful Things, I actually got an extra 15 minutes which I savored. We then jumped on the motorcycle and went to our motel where I finally got to experience standing in the shower and letting the hot water flow all over me. Ah, heaven! And then I crashed!
The wake-up call came at 5:45 this morning and by 7:00 Jill and I were again on our bikes, this time headed back to Willard on what was billed as an 80.3 mile ride. The first part of the ride was pleasant and we had lunch in Mt. Vernon where Burl joined us at the park as I again gorged myself on a PB&J sandwich. Much as I love peanut butter, I rarely eat it due to the fat and calories – but the MS150 weekend is the one time a year when I indulge. I eat it on apples, on bananas, on sticks with a glob right out of the jar and at lunch for a sandwich. I eat it even though it’s creamy and I’m a crunchy person!
As soon as we left our lunch stop we were treated to a huge hill – and from there on, the route was an exercise in constant shifting. The exuberance I felt going 39.6 MPH on a downhill stretch yesterday was reversed today as I slowly navigated up a big hill and finally proved I’ve never met a hill I couldn’t walk. By mile 70 my left knee was screaming at me and the message had changed from “you can do it” to “would you please stop torturing me!” So – I let discretion kick in over valor and snagged a ride back to Willard while Jill finished alone. Viewing the route from inside a truck I knew I’d made the right decision – not only was it 3 miles longer than stated but it was the hilliest part of the ride and included plenty of unpredicted rain.
I committed to the ride to have fun and raise money – and I can easily say “Mission Accomplished” to both of those goals. I plan to get in the hot tub for a while and let the jets hit my aching back and shoulders and I know my own bed will feel mighty good tonight. Give me a day or two and my butt may even want to see a bike seat again. To those of you who supported me with your donations and/or encouragement I thank you. Now I have 52 weeks to train for the 2008 ride!
To top off a weekend of bicycling, George Hincapie won the inaugural Tour of Missouri today allowing the Discovery Channel team to finish on a high note. He was our favorite – the one we wanted to win it all – and while we’re sad to see the team disband, we’re happy for George for taking the yellow jersey for keeps. It’s the end of a cycling dynasty but Slipstream Powered by Chipotle appears to be the up and coming team from the US – look for them next year at the Tour de France.
