Report: Bike MS

Yesterday I reached a major milestone in my quest to ride a century this year:  I rode 61 glorious miles for Bike MS--practically a metric century (100 km).  Many thanks to everyone who donated to my fundraising efforts for this event. 

The day began early, when my friend Sharyn and I loaded our bikes onto my bike rack in the wee hours of the morning and headed to National Harbor, MD.  My brakes were newly tightened and replaced, and I had cleaned and lubed the chain the night before, so my bike was in top form for the ride. I was also in pretty good form, thanks to my training over the past two months. 

After pinning our rider numbers onto the backs of each other's jerseys, Sharyn and I joined the throng of cyclists queuing up at the starting line.

Everyone loved my signature Hello Kitty jersey

With Sharyn, before the ride

At 7:30am, the 60-mile riders were let out of the gate and we were off!  The sun was shining and gauzy clouds trailed in a bright blue sky--perfect cycling weather.  I immediately felt the exhilaration and freedom I experience every time I get on the bike.

Queuing up at the starting line

And they're off!

The looping route took us through residential neighborhoods, past rural fields and farm houses, and into the bucolic landscape of Southern Maryland.  (Thank goodness, it wasn't too hilly!)  We rode past derelict houses with boarded up windows, tidy brick bungalows, and mini-estates decked out with private swimming pools.  We also saw numerous churches, small and large:  Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and even a Jehovah's Witnesses' Kingdom Hall.  

Country field

Dock on the Potomac River

At mile 11, Sharyn and I split, she taking the 30-mile route back towards National Harbor while I followed the signs for the 60-mile course (which was actually 61 miles long).  I leap-frogged with several other cyclists to the second rest stop (at mile 20), which I skipped, and from there on saw very few other riders between rest stops.  Most of the time, I was riding solo, focusing on my speed and my breathing, the steady pumping of my legs, the click of my gears on either end of a hill, the taste of salt on my lips, and the numbers on my odometer ticking continuously upward.

Alone on the road

One of my favorite parts of every large-scale, organized ride is the food provided at the rest stops.  (This is not surprising, given how much I like food.)  By far my favorite ride in the food category was the Great Pumpkin Ride last October, where they served pumpkin pie and hot apple cider at every rest stop.  Bike MS didn't have pumpkin pie, but they did have rest stops every 10 miles (more or less), which was fantastic in and of itself.  The rest stop at the half-way point was designated as the lunch rest stop and featured tables piled high with a variety of sandwiches, potato chips, and cookies, compliments of the Corner Bakery, along with the usual oranges and Odwalla bars.  I picked out a sandwich of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and arugula, flavored with a little balsamic vinegar. Mmmm, carbs....

Mid-ride sandwich

Several tables and chairs were set up under a tent so we could sit to enjoy our lunch, and there was even a musician with his guitar singing old country favorites like "You Are My Sunshine" and "I've Been Working on the Railroad"--songs that my grandma used to sing to us when she took my siblings and me camping as kids. 

I skipped the rest stop at mile 40-something and forged ahead to the final rest stop, at mile 51.  Lunch from the Corner Bakery notwithstanding, the last rest stop was by far my favorite.  It was stocked with little cups of trail mix, bits of watermelon, orange slices, juicy red grapes, and bags of locally-made potato chips.  I didn't think it was possible for watermelon and grapes to be so darn refreshing!  A very sweet, grandmotherly woman also filled my water bottle with ice to keep me cool through the final stretch.

The fabulous spread at the last rest stop

 

I pushed off from the last rest stop feeling re-invigorated and re-energized, and before I knew it, I was cruising through National Harbor and rounding the bend to the finish line, with volunteers in yellow t-shirts waving and cheering me on.  Hooray!!! 

I collected my cheezy but hard-earned medal and of course I had to pose for a few pictures with it too.

Look!  I got a medal!

I'm not going to lie:  I was tired after riding all those miles (not to mention sweaty and not exactly smelling like a flower garden), but I also felt fantastic.  Sixty-one miles!  My riding time was 4:22, with a total time (adding in rest stops) of just over five hours.  Not too shabby for this non-athlete!

Final evaluations:

• Bike MS event = a few awkward route choices but overall great
• My legs = awesome performance throughout
• My bike (sometimes referred to as The Precious) = couldn't have done better
• Rest stops = score 8 out of 10 
• Pre- and post-ride organization = got the job done but not quite up to the LiveStrong Challenge standard
• Hello Kitty jersey = fetching as usual 

Cycling has taught me over and over that I can do things I never thought I could do.  With Bike MS under my belt, that century ride is definitely within my grasp.