My first Century ride (turned out to be 91 miles actually)...We had to be in Irvine which is 45 minutes away from downtown LA at 6am. It was an early, early morning after a really, really late night. So, a little Sugarland was appropriate to help wake us up as we drove to the meeting point (“his dark eyes dared me with danger, and sparks flied like flame to a paper…”). Once there we scrambled to listen to the safety speech, sign in, use the restroom and get on the road before the 91 mile route closed. It was COLD! I didn't feel it so much until we started cycling, at which point my muscles tightened up and let me know they were not quite ready to be moving.
We started out passing the strawberry fields which smelled amazing...and then the climb began. Over the next 20 miles or so we continued on an upward trajectory. I was pretty slow. In fact at one point I saw a snail on the road and thought "well cindee, if he can do it...so can you." Even though my time sucked, I continued to ride and enjoy the beautiful scenery. This is a picture Ryan took of me (yes, I am in the very back) as we climbed the hill.
The hills and mountains reminded me so much of home (Utah). It was really incredible to smell the crisp clean air, have the morning sun in my eyes and just be on my bike. Don’t get me wrong, it was hard and I was slow, but it was well worth the climb. Here is a picture of a Christmas tree farm we saw along the road. First time I’ve seen one. The baby trees were so adorable. We were almost to (what I thought was) the top when we reached the first rest stop at mile 25. It was sort of a biker hang-out. Both cyclists and motorcyclist rest before continuing on the route. I may have to go back to buy some leather gear when I become a biker chic. We were right at 9am at this point and had to keep going or we weren’t going to make it to the next stop in time.
Side note: Ryan’s knee started hurting at around mile 15. We aren’t sure why, but he was a real trooper to push through it like he did. I would have never made these hills on a bum knee. Major kudos t him.
Then we encountered the hill of all hills. If you remember Hawthorne and how much I hated that…this one beats it, hands down. It wasn’t that it was long, but the incline was hellish. I really struggled up the hill having to stop multiple times. Here is a picture of me struggling to the top.
However, the climb was all worth it. Ryan told me his favorite part was just after the hill…and I heartily agree. The downhill switchbacks through the tree tunnel were amazing. I would do it all over again just for that moment. It was breathtaking.
We continued on the route until we got to mile 50 for the second pit stop. Ryan and I got to talk a lot along the way and just enjoy being outside together. The only down point was that the SAG crew was right behind us most of the way. I felt a little pressured to go faster than I was ready to, but one way or the other we made it down the mountain and towards the cost. This is a picture somewhere along this stretch.
From the second pit stop to lunch was 9 miles. They were a long 9 miles as my energy was pretty zapped at this point. I was looking forward to some food and time to sit down and recover. That didn’t exactly happen. We encountered a surfing competition; we rode through mils of residential areas and ultimately followed a parking lot near the water towards our destination. When we got there only one peanut butter and jelly sandwich remained. Myself and another guy were the only ones left who hadn’t eaten. Me being the martyr I am (or overly generous as Ryan would say) gave up the sandwich and settled for a power bar and banana. I was not looking forward to the next 17 miles through Camp Pendleton, but onward we went.
Camp Pendleton was totally uneventful, and I’m not even sure if it is habituated. I expected some great eye candy scenery with men running in formation or uniforms or something. Nada. We saw nothing along this stretch and I would have been happy to skip it. SAG was again right on my tail so I was getting pretty annoyed at this point. I know the time constraint was just due to the need to make our return train, but I was bugged beyond belief. Ryan felt it too so I wasn’t the only unreasonable one.
When we got to the next pit stop, everyone was gone and ahead of us. I was completely worn out and Ryan’s knee was really a constant pain now. It was 2:30 and we had until 3:30 to get the bikes in. One hour to go 13 miles…we decided to give it our best shot. We hydrated and hit the road for the final stretch. We got to mile 80 before we had to call SAG to pick us up. Time had run out. I’m not going to lie…I was pretty bummed out that we hadn’t finished. However, I felt a lot better when Ryan explained that had I been on the actual ride I would have had 3 more hours to complete the last 11 miles for the day. I know I could have done that, so it was a timing thing not a physical thing that kept us from completing the route.
After we dropped our bike at the truck, we headed to Pizza Port to get our lunch. It felt good to change clothes and wash my face. Made all the difference actually… We got our lunch and went to the train station to eat and pick up our tickets. It felt so good to sit down and just chat for a bit before heading home. Ahhh, Solana beach…
We continued on the route until we got to mile 50 for the second pit stop. Ryan and I got to talk a lot along the way and just enjoy being outside together. The only down point was that the SAG crew was right behind us most of the way. I felt a little pressured to go faster than I was ready to, but one way or the other we made it down the mountain and towards the cost. This is a picture somewhere along this stretch.
From the second pit stop to lunch was 9 miles. They were a long 9 miles as my energy was pretty zapped at this point. I was looking forward to some food and time to sit down and recover. That didn’t exactly happen. We encountered a surfing competition; we rode through mils of residential areas and ultimately followed a parking lot near the water towards our destination. When we got there only one peanut butter and jelly sandwich remained. Myself and another guy were the only ones left who hadn’t eaten. Me being the martyr I am (or overly generous as Ryan would say) gave up the sandwich and settled for a power bar and banana. I was not looking forward to the next 17 miles through Camp Pendleton, but onward we went.
Camp Pendleton was totally uneventful, and I’m not even sure if it is habituated. I expected some great eye candy scenery with men running in formation or uniforms or something. Nada. We saw nothing along this stretch and I would have been happy to skip it. SAG was again right on my tail so I was getting pretty annoyed at this point. I know the time constraint was just due to the need to make our return train, but I was bugged beyond belief. Ryan felt it too so I wasn’t the only unreasonable one.
When we got to the next pit stop, everyone was gone and ahead of us. I was completely worn out and Ryan’s knee was really a constant pain now. It was 2:30 and we had until 3:30 to get the bikes in. One hour to go 13 miles…we decided to give it our best shot. We hydrated and hit the road for the final stretch. We got to mile 80 before we had to call SAG to pick us up. Time had run out. I’m not going to lie…I was pretty bummed out that we hadn’t finished. However, I felt a lot better when Ryan explained that had I been on the actual ride I would have had 3 more hours to complete the last 11 miles for the day. I know I could have done that, so it was a timing thing not a physical thing that kept us from completing the route.
After we dropped our bike at the truck, we headed to Pizza Port to get our lunch. It felt good to change clothes and wash my face. Made all the difference actually… We got our lunch and went to the train station to eat and pick up our tickets. It felt so good to sit down and just chat for a bit before heading home. Ahhh, Solana beach…
I did get sunburned (again) with 3rd degree burns that blistered and are still peeling (HELLO CINDEE, MEET SUNSCREEN), but otherwise was fine. I need to figure out the best way to keep my energy up during the ride (HELLO CINDEE, MEET BREAKFAST) and push through some lingering mental barriers, but it was a great experience! PEACE!
P.S.did you notice my new $10 jersey? There is a cute frog on the back...sorta dorky, but colorful. ha!
I really don't think I could ever do that. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing experience, not only as far as the task of riding all those miles, but in proving to yourself that YOU CAN DO IT! Often I give up before I even try, so I totally admire that you went for it and made it happen. Nice work!
ReplyDelete