Will I Do It Again?

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.

 

5 thoughts on “Will I Do It Again?”

  1. This is really really great Dave. Congrats on such a great accomplishment and a great cause. We attended a memorial for a gentleman from our church Sunday evening and there were 3-4 in the audience who had just completed the Ride. Kudos to them and to you. And 157 in two days ain’t too bad either.

  2. Woo hoo, you finished it! What a fantastic achievement. 157 miles is a loooong ride, but I bet it was fun staying with everyone in the tents. Congratulations, and what a nice memorial tribute to your friend.

  3. Well done, sir!

    Having ridden in those parts a little bit (albeit different routes), I know the terrain well enough to know you were challenged by it.

    During the MS rides I worked and rode, participants were reminded that the challenge they were facing was only for a day or two–the challenges faced by those helped by the funds were all the time.

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