Lancaster Country Ride: She's Going The Distance

Spring is here and that means that it is prime cycling time here in North Texas.  I got a bike last May and have been learning how to be a better cyclist.  I'm still very average, on a good day, but I sure do have fun when I am out on the open road.  I have a goal of riding a century (100 miles!) before marathon training starts again in late June.  Saturday brought the first bike rally of the year, the Lancaster Country Ride.  I had every intention of riding the 42 mile route until I was talking to Ninja last week.  He is a notorious "pusher" so I was not surprised when he suggested that I really should do the 62 mile route.  Never mind that I had never been more than 40 miles at once on my bike and that was last August. I made an effort to hit the bike trainer for an hour or so each week this winter, I think that it made a difference.  I am a "by the book" runner and would never increase my mileage so drastically, but the bike is different--it is all about fun--so why not?!

I love me some maps.

I am always nervous during the first 10 miles of a bike rally.  There are just so many bikes and they are all so close together.  Frankly, I don't trust the other riders and I tend to hang back a bit.  I know that I need to be more aggressive and I am sure that will come with experience.  This is only my third bike rally, after all.  The crowd began to thin out after the first rest stop and even more after the second stop, where the 42 and 62 mile routes split from each other.  We missed finding our group at the start and I was certain that many of them were way ahead of us since they are faster than me.  I was happy to see Elaine at the second aide stop and we were able to hang with her for the remaining miles.  We also saw Coach Frank from Tri-Now Endurance, where he totally "outed" us for being runners on bikes!  Busted.

There is no going back now!  Elaine and I were a little nervous--no turning back!

The weather could not have been more perfect--not too hot with lots of sun and a beautiful blue sky.  The route took us through the Texas Bluebonnet Trail, and if there is one thing you should know about us Texans it is that we are mighty fond of our state flower. Texas spring tradition dictates that you must plant yourself in a clump of Bluebonnets for your annual picture.  Just ask my mom, she has been dragging us out the the Bluebonnet patch since we were toddlers.  I have the pictures to prove it!  I have never seen so many Bluebonnets either, the views were sweeping and often took my breath away.  There were so many times that I wanted to stop and take pictures of the views, but I limited myself to one stop.  I could have stayed out there all day! 

Texas Beauty, Y'all!

I forgot my Garmin so I had no concept of miles, which might have been a good thing.  I just made it a goal to get from one rest stop to the next and I enjoyed the scenery in between.  The animals were almost as spectacular as the flowers: cows, sheep, goats, mini donkeys (you know I love my donkeys!), and even a mama camel with her baby.  Spring time has brought lots of sweet babies to the fields!  I have been in the suburbs way too long, y'all. 

This was my first rally in which I felt like I had a complete game: clipping in, a legit kit, and a professional fitting on my bike.  I think that it made a huge difference too, I felt much stronger than I did at that last rally in August.  By the end I felt tired of being on the bike, but nothing ever caused me pain--just general fatigue. I think that this is excellent mental training for marathoning as I ended up being on the bike almost four and a half hours, a long time to be moving forward and focused on a task.  I was even able to pick up the pace in the final few miles and pass a few guys along the way.  These are all encouraging signs!  It also gave me a boost when a dude called out "that is an awesome kit!".  How fun is that?

FIGJAM was well represented!

I have learned that the finish line of a bike rally is not as exciting as the finish line of a run, in fact is is often quite anti climatic.  However, the FIGJAM crew brings the noise and I had a huge smile as I heard them cheering for us as we rolled in to the finish.  Thanks to them for hanging out long after they finished their rides.  And I did have a huge smile--I think that I smiled for 62 miles! 

Finishing Strong!  Thanks for the pic, Ninja!

Things I learned on this journey: apply sunscreen more carefully--I have some pretty awkward "stripes" as a result of careless application, chip sealed roads are the bane of my cycling existence, when you get to the downhills let go of the brakes and ride like heck! What's next?  It is pretty dangerous to talk to Ninja immediately after a successful ride.  I'm pretty sure that he signed me up for the Shiner G.A.S.P. in 3 weeks. Stay tuned!