Flyer Flown

Today was an interesting day. Angela and I signed up for the Owasco Flyer about a week ago or so. It's a 36 mile bike race with a few big hills... or at least that is what I was told...

I was pretty nervous about being in a bike race again after the Tour de Loop last year just because I feel like everyone who races is legit and serious bikers, unlike say, us. Don't get me wrong, we ride a lot and occasionally push ourselves outside of our comfort zone but bike races are insane. The people who won today beat us by about 50 minutes. That's a significant difference. There were only 24 women who rode, 199 riders all together. Props to the woman who won overall female, I bow down to her athleticism 1:35:29! Our time by the way was 2:18:14 which I was guessing earned us a big old DFL but turns out we beat a handful of people. 2 Girls in my age group and 2 in Angela's, so at least we beat someone. I've been patting myself on the back for even riding in the race since it was by far the hardest race I've ever been in, not to mention all the women who didn't even attempt it, I mean we get points for that right?

Anyways in typical fashion we started way the eff in the back. Once we lost sight of the pack we went it alone for awhile until I latched on like a leech to a nice gentleman who was just slightly faster than what I would consider a comfortable pace. Once we were drafting with a few people it became significantly easier to ride a respectable pace. After the first big hill that seemed to go on forever I felt alright, besides a few tight muscles. The down hills were really nice but the uphills started very quickly after, when the second hill began to climb it literally never ended... luckily it levels out in places but I kept thinking the second hill, which was supposed to be the worst, was over and then around every corner there was another climb. Just to clarify by climb I mean sort of like the face of a cliff which I could have easily walked up faster. Granny gear all the way! So after the mountain they call a hill, there really wasn't much of a down hill, just a bunch of rollers and sort of big hills that I kept thinking must be the third big climb. I'm not entirely sure where that last one was, it just seemed like I had died and sinned heavily in a former life and was now paying for it in my own personal hell of never ending hills. My computer was happily reporting my mph but nothing else so when I turned to Angela and asked how much further like a kid on a car trip to California, we had 6 miles left. My response was let's get this effer over with and we had a very short lived burst of energy til we spotted hill after miserable hill and realised we had a ways to go. With one mile left I was picturing myself chucking my bike in Owasco lake. The last four hills forced me into granny gear and so close to my physical/mental breaking point I almost cried... and I am not exaggerating. I will say there were men in front of us walking their bikes up hill, granted faster than we were riding, but we did manage to remain on our bikes, we take our accomplishments wherever they come :)

The finish is at the top of a short but steep hill and as we rolled across the line I was at least happy we weren't any slower and that there were in fact people behind us.

Overall a good experience, it should make the Iron Girl seem like a cake walk. Hopefully someday soon we will learn how to ride our bikes faster and compete with fellow cyclists but until that day we will at least hold our heads up high for attempting a monster of a race and finishing it!

Listening to: Good ol' Fashion Nightmare/ Matt & Kim