Yesterday I rode in my first ever organized bike ride for Bike the Bend for Literacy supporting the Fort Bend County Literacy Counsel.
Our group of 8 was instead a group of 4. My two MS 150 teammates, who have ridden before, separated from me pretty quickly. At the rest stop, we all met up and due to some poor directions, I got split up from them again! I figured they were behind me and would catch up soon enough. It wasn’t until the next turn that I realized that I had taken the 35 mile path!
Sitting at the intersection of Country Road who knows and FM I can’t remember, I decided, welp, no harm in trying for 35. The next 15 miles proved to be a challenge though. The wind picked up considerably and it seemed that we rode directly into them the entire time. Then there were “hills”. Granted they were no Hill Country hills, but still, the slight elevation combined with the wind drained my energy pretty quickly.
At mile 23 I stopped for the first time for 3 minutes. I downed my water bottle and shot a text to the gf explaining to her that I was in pain or as I stated it, “dying”. I think this was the first moment I realized, I would not be making it the full 35.
The next 10 minutes were the longest of the entire ride. First, there was the incline. It was a constant uphill trek. Then, there was the sign stating the rest stop was only a mile away. Yes, it was a relief, but that little sign seemed to take every last bit of energy I had away from me. I started pedaling at what seemed like 5 RPM. It wasn’t until I got to the top of that hill and saw the rest stop that I regained normal human strength.
As soon as I dismounted, I called my gf and begged her to pick me up. My next stop, the water coolers. I swear, I haven’t drank that much water in such a short amount of time in my life. I sat on the ground and drank and drank and drank. By the time I got picked up, I felt good as new.
The lessons I learned from this ride. First, I will be sure to know the route beforehand. Getting lost wasn’t that big of a deal but if I truly got lost, that would have been. Thankfully, I was still on the route. Second, taking breaks is good for me. After chilling for 30 minutes, I felt good enough to ride. I probably couldn’t have made it the last 10.5, but I felt ok. Lastly, water water water. I had borrowed a water bottle and I’m glad I did. I will never go on a ride expecting to only drink at the rest stops.
All in all, it was an amazing experience. I’m hoping to ride 30 miles on my own this weekend. I want my next organized ride route to be a bit longer. Tonight I’m hopping on the elliptical and seeing how my leg muscles feel.
Back to work!
Filed under: MS 150, Photo of the Day
