Paunch de Leon Reaches The Promised Land
Photo Courtesy Rich Silva
Photo Courtesy Rich Silva
However the ride was far more epic from a fundraising perspective. Through the generosity of the world's greatest donors, almost $2,200 was raised to help fight diabetes. You know who you are.
And now, the abbreviated version of 7.5 hours in the saddle that you have all been waiting for. Let us start by noting the weather was perfect all day, almost chilly as the ride started at 6:15 AM. The theme once again was 1) hydration and 2) supplements. The key to 1) and 2) was quantity and timing, coupled with 3) low-resistance pedaling.
Rather than provide a painful narrative of the route, which was redesigned this year, I simply provide the map snapshot and link above for the few interested in interactive GPS, etc. Again, you know who you are.
There were several other themes for the day: Camaraderie. Well designed and marked course. Well managed event. Riding as a team, we hailed the first 3 rest stops leading to Purcellville. The pace was good and the chatter made the first 20+ miles pass unnoticed.
The low point of the event was throwing a chain as we crossed a bridge in a sag curve at ~Mile 50 and the pavement turned to hard oatmeal on the opposite side. Bad time to shift I suppose. I had to dismount rather than try a live re-chaining under load, and the pack dropped me. I knew enough not to chase them with 50+ to go, and resumed my own pace through the rolling Virginia countryside.
Here I will say that during all such events, a time comes when you are all by yourself. It's quiet. You're not exactly sure where you are, or where you are going, but the scenery is nice. It is a microcosm of life and that's why you ride.
Note: Captain America never abandoned his Bike
The high point came when I eventually caught up to a teammate walking uphill with a cramped quad and no water. As another teammate Terry had done for me a month before under similar conditions, I was glad I could share half my water. This helped get him the ~11 miles to the next rest stop, where he regrouped and proceeded to finish in full glory. Not that I had questioned it before, but at that moment carrying the weight of both bottles paid off in full.
So once again, thanks to all the generous donors, volunteers and organizers who put together another great event. Of course there was more cycling glory within the 7.5 hours, but after all this is the abbreviated version.
