Tulsa Tough: Barefoot in a stranger's SUV

Last year, in early June, several of our friends headed up to Tulsa to check out Tulsa Tough, a three day cycling event.  Needless to say, the weekend was a huge success and they recruited a few more of us to join them this year. The appeal of Tulsa Tough, for us anyway, was the opportunity to do back-to-back long rides (Grand Fondos) on Saturday and Sunday.  There is a wide range of distances available from 27 to 127 miles on Saturday and 35 to 104 miles on Sunday. Fiona (aka SheNinja, my Shiner GASP buddy) and I decided to team up once again and we both signed up for the Medio rides -- 68 miles on Saturday and 63 on Sunday.  I was somewhat nervous about the combination of these distances and the number of hills we would be climbing.  I went into it with an open mind, and knew I would have no shame in dropping to a shorter distance on Sunday if I felt I didn't have it.

Tulsa has a pretty cool scene going on. Who knew?!

Mr K and I packed up Subie and enjoyed a scenic drive to Tulsa. We met up with Dat, E, and Drum when we arrived and made our way over to the packet pick-up area.  The Grand Fondo is only one part of Tulsa Tough.  Once of the main attractions are the criterium (crit) races.  A crit is a bike race held on a short course, the crits in Tulsa were all less than a mile.  The race length is determined by a total amount of time or a certain number of laps.  It makes for an exciting atmosphere as the cyclists travel in tight packs and often reach speeds of 30 mph or more--think NASCAR on bikes!  Tulsa Tough brings professional cyclists from all around the country as the prize money makes the trip worthwhile.  We took in a little bit of the crits before having dinner and getting to bed.

Friday night crits -- so fast!

I'm not sure why, but cycling gets my nerves going in a way that running does not.  I suppose I feel much more in control with running: I know that I have the training and that if anything goes wrong it is usually something within my control (rather than a mechanical issue). I choked down some breakfast and was happy to be rolling out the front door of the hotel (seriously, bikes in the elevator and everything).  Mr K and I met up with our gang at the start line and were off and rolling with out incident.  It was a beautiful day and I was enjoying the Tulsa scenery with my friends, can't beat that!  Soon enough we settled into an easy groove and I found myself riding with Fi and Drum.  We decided to bypass the first rest stop at 13 miles and ride on through until the second one at 25 miles.  We had a brief reunion with Mr K and Erin, who had been riding a little bit ahead of us.  I grabbed a few bites and had a drink and headed back to my bike only to find that the cleat from my shoe was still attached to the pedal.  I decided to give it a shot and see if I could make it work, but I quickly realized that it would be next to impossible to ride 43 more miles with one pedal.  Drum flagged down a SAG wagon and Sam (my friendly driver) took me back to rest stop 2 to wait for the mechanics.  Long story short, the mechanics were too busy at rest stop 3 so eventually Sam took me up there (Up is a literal term here, we climbed 2 huge hills between those 2 rest stops!).  That is when I had to laugh a little as I realized I was sitting barefoot in a stranger's SUV -- not what I was expecting when I woke up that morning!  Drum and Fi are the best and were waiting for me when I arrived.  The mechanics had a new set of cleats for me and we were back on the road, how lucky am I? I can't thank Fi and Drum enough for adding an additional hour to their ride and waiting for me during all that, I told you that I have some pretty special friends.

Team K ready to roll!

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful and I ended up finishing with 56 miles, I was thrilled with that considering I thought that I was done at 25 miles.  Our gang was reunited and we all enjoyed the post ride grub and watched the crits before heading back to the hotel for a nap.  Another group dinner followed and another early bedtime -- we all had alot more miles to cover the next morning.

FIGJAM Crew: Ninja, Drum, Mr K, E, Me, and Fi (Dat not pictured)

Sunday morning was largely a repeat of Saturday morning: wake up early, nervously choke down some breakfast, cram bikes into the elevator, and roll out to the start.  While Saturday's ride took us south of town, Sunday's ride had us heading towards the north and therefore starting in a different location.  The crowd was about half the size of the previous day and we were surprised to hear that most people do not do back-to-back days.  This was odd to us, as we thought that was the whole appeal of the weekend.  My sit bones were a little tender and my legs were lacking some of their pep, but Fi and I maintained a steady pace throughout the miles.  I'm glad that she was there as it would have been downright lonely otherwise, we were the only ones for long stretches of miles. 

Ninja and Dat before Day 1

The hills were fewer, save for a huge one in the first five miles, until we got to the rest stop at mile 32.  As we checked the map, the volunteer referred to the upcoming hill as "cardiac hill." Ruh row!  The climb was pretty tough, but we were rewarded with some screaming downhills.  I'm pretty sure that I reached my top bike speed ever during this weekend -- 37.5 mph!  Fi and I thought that we had it made when the volunteer at the mile 51 rest stop told us that we had "one more hill."  I learned that you can not trust the Tulsa locals when they tell you that there is just "one more hill" before the end. Apparently their definition of a "hill" is very different than this flatlander's definition of a hill.  Just after that stop we encountered a fairly short and very steep hill.  It barely shows up on the elevation chart, but I will never forget it.  I was pedaling so slowly that I felt as if I could start rolling backwards at any moment.  Because I was going so slowly, I was unsure of my ability to unclip.  I looked at the grassy shoulder and considered just laying my bike down on right there.  True story!  I was moving so slowly that I had time to think it through -- how much would it hurt?  would it hurt less to just keep pedaling?  would I break my wrist? Thankfully the pedaling began to get easier and I made it to the top of the hill without surrender.  My legs were shaking and I had to take a moment to just put my head on my handlebars.  Just one more hill?  It sounded so easy!

My cycling buddy Fi

The end of this ride was some what cruel as it took us all over downtown before finally leading us to the finish line at the Riverview Crits.  Mr K, E, Drum, Ninja, and Dat were waiting for us there and we enjoyed some fine post race food and drinks and a celebration of our weekend.  They save the best crit for last -- this one only covers .8 miles, but includes the legendary Cry Baby Hill one one side and a fast downhill on the other.  Words cannot describe the scene at Cry Baby Hill -- music, costumes, dancing, -- do a You Tube search if you are curious.  I soon understood why Tulsa Tough had chosen #takemondayoff as their tag line for the weekend.  I can't say enough good things about this event, and am especially thankful to the Sam from SAG and Sun and Ski Sports for getting me back on the road on Saturday.  They really made it impossible for me to quit and I appreciate their efforts.



Cry Baby Hill

 

I had a great time at Tulsa Tough and I learned a few things along the way.  My cycling confidence continues to grow with each long ride and I am looking forward to taking on one more century ride before Breeze (my bike) takes a back seat to marathon training.  I still have so much to learn, but also realize that I have come a long way (literally) in the year that I have been cycling.  I'm still a runner at heart and always will be, but I see the value in my two-wheeled adventures.  I can't wait for Tulsa Tough 2014.

 

Parting Shot -- Officially the best jerseys of Day 2

(Thanks to Drum, E, and Ninja for some of the pictures shared here)