The 100km milestone

Yesterday, in my journey for the bike rally, I reached the 100km milestone. I feel incredible and my butt is still feeling it :) 

Because it was a long ride, we were meeting early, 7:30 am to leave at 8. That 30 minute period has purpose, from the eyes of a noob like me. Register, talk to other people, gather intelligence from the experienced riders, maybe find someone to ride with you. It also serves to calm nerves. I always find it a bit overwhelming arriving 2 minutes prior to leaving for any type of exercise, I need to calm down a bit.

The alarm came in quickly at 5 am, I need that long to get ready, even the cats were sleepy. Got my coffee in, let it do what it's supposed to do, had my brekkie (in retrospect, I could have eaten more), lathered the sunscreen on my legs, put the chamois butter on the crotch of my well padded bib shorts (the expensive ones). Camel back filled, electrolytes in my other bottle, I put my helmet, gloves on and I set off to meet a friend to cycle together to the subway.

We were the first ones to arrive. Soon enough people started to trickle in and eventually a large group developed. Hugs, encouragement, advice, joking around, more hugs. Warmup exercises done and we were finally off. I was with someone who had a few training rides with the group but he likes to do it at his own pace so we decided we would be the official back of the pack. There was another person who wanted to ride with us so we were 3-4 riders.

Then we were off. It's always a bit daunting to start with a large group. There is a lot of talking, passing (on your left, on your left, on your left) and if there are stops/lights, you hear a lot of "slowing, stopping, rolling" then there are the signs for hole, gravel, crater, etc... if you are not comfortable taking your hands off the bike, you have the option of yelling. I prefer to signal because it forces me to work on my balance, something that is needed in stressful situation. So I often will look behind me for no reason other than becoming more comfortable with the movement.

We made it to the airport. I kept thinking OMG OMG OMG I am near the airport! Ok, I started at the subway but still, I'm at the airport! We stopped to do a photo op and watch the planes. And we were off again. It was a long ride to lunch, 50km to be exact. There was a stretch of road that went on for what seemed forever. And the headwind. Oh the headwind... I lost momentum at that point. I had very little enthusiasm, it was push through, push through, push through.

Finally we made it to lunch after a BEAUTIFUL bit of winding road. Oh that was great. I really like the downhill although I get a bit scared so conquering it is always so rewarding! We found the group, stopped for a burger/hot dog and salads. I learned a good lesson that day. Don't eat too much. It makes me sluggish. I shouldn't have had that second helping of salad.

After about 1/2 hour, we were off again. We were told that the second part was hilly. And it was. Some big ones, some smaller ones. And the headwind, still there, with us. All the time. But we soldiered on. I found myself with another few people and we were a group of 6. Soon we lost a few and it was only us 4 women. Women power!

The last 20km were tough. My butt and crotch hurt. It was numb at times. I had to stand up on my bike to give it a rest. I had my second wind at one point but it went down in the last 30 minutes of the ride. It took a lot of mental at that point. I was like "enough! my butt hurts, I'm tired, my shoulder is sore, my hands are sore" but I knew that this was just the mental part of the training. This is what is going to happen for the 6 days of the bike rally. True the roads probably won't be as bad as what we get on the training rides but you still have to cycle! So better get prepared.

Finally, finally, finally we made it to Auckland. Turned right and started to ring our bells and yell like crazy. We were home! There was a small group there, the ride support was there to welcome us. What a great feeling to finish the ride. Awesome.

One of the rider had a bag of orange quarters that she shared with us. That piece of orange tasted so great! I'm getting some for next ride for sure. We all hugged, congratulated each other for a great ride, took a few photos. Alexander came in and he was given the hero welcome. It was a tough ride for him, his knee was sore, he was sore, he was frustrated and wanted to finish it all. Eventually he got better after a few hugs from his fellow riders :)

I came home shivering on Sherbourne after sitting in the subway so couldn't wait to get home, hug the cats, and jump in the shower.

I had such emotions in me that I found it difficult to adequately express them. It was similar to when I conquered the marathon yet at the same time it was better. I think it's because the distance. 100km, that's far!

I learned so much during that ride. I learned that you have to let go of judgement, you have to welcome your fellow riders and know that they are feeling the same way you do. That they are accepting you as you are, not for what you represent or can give them.

I look forward to the next milestone, the next challenge. I will report, more frequently. Meanwhile, here's the link to my fundraising page: http://tinyurl.com/nlmyqdk