I rode The Ride to Conquer Cancer over the weekend. Two days, 157 miles, and no flats!
I’d like to thank everyone who donated to this cause. I’m glad I could do my part in the fight against cancer.
The ride itself was a wonderful experience. It was better organized that I thought it would be. It was well supported. They had the right foods, and the stops were spaced well.
I had been riding less in recent months, and almost sold my recumbent bike recently after thinking I couldn’t do hills on it any more. I was a bit worried about my ability to finish this ride.
Self Confidence Renewed
I rode the entire course. I never walked a hill. I was far from fast. I rode 82 miles on Saturday in 7 hours and 40 minutes. The fastest riders arrived in about 4 hours. The climb out of Frankfort was pretty brutal.
On Sunday, I took a slower pace, as I still hadn’t fully recovered. I also met up with Mark, another recumbent rider on his Rans V-Rex. Mark and I seemed to be riding the only recumbents in the ride. We rode together for the full 75 miles on Sunday. We finished in about 8 hours.
Next Year?
I don’t know if I’ll ride again next year. The fundraising is hard and I usually feel uncomfortable asking for money. My daughter is expressing interest in riding with me next year. I think that’s great, but would mean raising $5000 for the two of us. I think I’m going to gauge “pledges” this time before signing up.
Overnight in Lexington
We were provided tents, but in my rush to get ready at the last minute I forgot to bring a sleeping bag, towel, or flashlight.
I took a shower on Saturday evening and used an extra shirt as a towel. I managed to get a crew member to drive and buy a sleeping bag for me (which I paid for). I fumbled around in the dark to get ready on Sunday morning.
It rained overnight, and the tent leaked a little, but the weather during the ride was pretty good on both days.
All things considered, I slept reasonably well, and enjoyed the experience at camp.