1oo Miles of Nowhere
Spring
in Potsdam NY Division
Springtime in Upstate New York can be difficult (this year we had snow
on Mother's Day). Our biggest worry going into the week was the weather on
Friday. All week long the forecast was for rain. Bummer. Thursday the forecast
started to improve and we decided we were going to do our ride. Lorraine,
Jen and I gathered on the Clarkson University Campus at 8:30 am and begin
our ride with mist heavy in the air and slick roads.
The plan was to break the ride down into 25 mile blocks. We set a good
pace for the first 25 miles and finished in just under an hour and a half.
We were all ready for the first break, wet bums and dirty jerseys all around.
We had been interviewed for a newspaper the day before and a photographer
came to take our picture for the article. He was nice enough to snap a picture
for us as well.
During the second 25 miles we had some unexpected support. One of our friends
set signs out. One at a time. So as we passed the same point the message became
clear.
The second 25 miles went even faster.
After a quick lunch we went back out for the second half. We were joined
by our friend and domestique Martin.
Martin was awesome. Riding lead for miles 50-75 into an increasing wind.
It saved us a lot of effort to have him lead us out for that leg. It was also
nice to have someone else along for what are typically the hardest miles in
a century. Our pace slowed, but we still made really good time. The sky began
to clear, the roads dried and the ride settled into a good pace. We did the
final 25 miles together and finished as we started in a group of three going
at a pace that all of us could finish with. We ended our ride at 4 pm in
the afternoon with a total time of just about 6 hours on the bike. When we
finished we had our picture taken at the Clarkson University Presidents house.
The house was named less than a week ago at graduation for our board chairman
who died this winter after contracting a very agressive cancer.
Here is proof that we did it :) This was the first century ride for all
three of us. I couldn't think of a better, or more memorable first century
ride.
And here is what the gps track looks like for a 100 mile bike ride on a
1.25 mile course...
The paper wrote up a nice article about us and our ride.
So what are my thoughts after doing this ride? It was everything I had
hoped it would be and more. The ride gave me a lot of time to think. Even
at the most uncomfortable points, when it was cold and damp at the beginning,
or when we were all tired at the end, what we were experiencing was nothing
compared to what someone with cancer experiences. It was a little thing we
were doing in comparison.
Would I do it again? You bet!
We want to thank all of our friends and family who supported us. To those
of you who came out and cheered us on, it helped more than you could ever
know. To those of you who donated on our behalf, you made our effort worth
while. You helped to make a difference.
To Fatty, this is not some silly
idea. It allows the community you created get together regardless of where
we are. We can't wait to ride again with you next year.