riding to Stillwater

Sunday, June 15, 2003

There is nothing like a margarita on a hot summer June day.

Maybe it's not so hot. But it did get up to 85 degrees and I spent 5-1/2 of those hours outside so I'd say this margarita is probably being enjoyed like no other right now.

The good news is that I don't have a sun burn either. Sunscreen rules.

I am a wimp, though. I turned on the central air. It was 76 degrees in the house when I went to bed last night and I slept like ass. Sure, I could blame it partly on the fact that James didn't get home until 3am or that I'm still dealing with the lingering cough from my cold. But I was kind of uncomfortable, too.

And then today after all that time in the sun, well, I just broke down. I shut all the windows. Closed the blinds. And clicked that magic lever over from "off" to "cool."

Having central air makes me feel like such an adult.

+ + + +

I know I have said this a lot lately. I know I've mentioned how amazed I am about the person I've become. How I feel so different than the person I used to be. But that thought struck me again today after I got home from a 33+ mile ride to Stillwater and back to see a couple of cycling races. And what struck me the most was that I didn't do this alone. I had three amazing and strong women with me.

I've always been sort of a loner. Especially a fitness loner. Everything I've tried has either been solo or with James and James alone. Perhaps it is my fear of failure, but even the thought of mountain biking with another couple used to send me to the trails practicing solo in advance. A combination of fear of failure and introverted-ness kept me from team-oriented and group participatory things.

And the fact that now I ride (regularly!) with a women's group just floors me. Especially when I see them putting their serious road bikes on their hood-mounted bike racks in front of my house.

These are my friends? This is my shared interest?

Umm. Yes.

Which still surprises me and fills me with a bit of awe.

+ + + +

Like I said, we rode out to Stillwater today. There was a criterium for the pro racers as well as some amateurs as part of the Great River Energy Bike Fest. The real calling for spectatorship is that this criterium features Chilkoot Hill as part of the course. A hill that has a grade of 24%! To put that into perspective, federal highways are not allowed to be steeper than a 6% grade. And these racers had to climb Chilkoot Hill repeatedly. Up to 10 to 20 times per race on the slightly longer than a mile course.

I sent out a message to the women's group earlier in the week. Usually Sunday is our Coffee Ride, but I wanted to go to Stillwater. And three other women decided to join me.

We met at my home earlier this morning since I live closest to Stillwater. And the ride out there was lovely. Perfect weather. We were all energized.

It didn't even dawn on us how warm it was getting until we arrived in Stillwater minutes before the first race. Standing still in the sun was hot.

We found a shaded spot at the base of the big hill and watched some of our guys compete in the Cat 2/3 race. We cheered them on as they climbed the monster Chilkoot repeatedly. Unfortunately, the race was stopped midway through because of an accident and then cut short. Our guys probably only completed 8 laps of the loop. Nonetheless, it was still a good race.

After the Cat 2/3 race, the women's professional riders started. It amazed me how furiously they climbed the hill. Strong chicks, that's for sure. And if watching them isn't motivation for the soul, I don't know what else is.

My group decided to get some food at this point so we grabbed a sandwich and found some more shade. We also ran into some friends who joined us for lunch.

We all became crazy-tired after eating. Digestion and our time spent in the sun caught up to us. It was draining our reserves. We decided soon after the women's race to head out. It was either that or curl right there up on the lawn.

Of course, the thing that really sucks about heading out of Stillwater is that, no matter what direction you go in, you have to head out uphill. And not just "a little" uphill. I'm talking UPHILL. My legs were cold and my body lethargic. The steep mother of a hill that we had to climb out of the city just about killed me. I dropped down in my lowest gear not even halfway up the thing.

Still, I made it up. Slowly. Slowly. Slowly.

We were all pretty beat from the exertion of the hill. The mid-afternoon sun was pretty damn hot, too. Our legs did warm up, though, and our pace eventually steadied. The rest of the ride bike was enjoyable and leisurely. We practiced our "pack riding skills" pointing out obstacles and yelling "rider up!" And we genuinely enjoyed a flexible Sunday where the only goal was to share a common interest.

At the end, we were all pretty tired and grimy. But it was an awesome day, indeed.

And the fact that I shared it with friends makes it so much more enjoyable. Sure, a ten-mile run out by myself makes me feel great. But it is not nearly as gratifying as a day spent doing something you love with people who love to do it, too.

That's just awesome.

+ + + +

Okay. I just have to fill you all in. This Great River Bicycle Festival I've been talking about? Well, this has been a big deal for James. Apparently, last year, the fest was shopping for a new charity to benefit. And James just happens to work for a charity. So, through a keen interest in cycling and, obviously, connections, James got hooked up with the guy in charge of the fest. Which resulted in him lining up his charity as the beneficiary. How cool is that?

He's been working on this all year, too. He's dedicated so much time. And, because of him, his company will receive a big fat check. I've only seen James for probably a combined 3 hours since the fest started on Wednesday. He's been working day and night writing stories and sending out results. And now that the end is in sight, I just have to say how really proud I am of him for all that he has done.

That and I'm ready for him to come home now.

+ + + +

You know? I've put over 63 miles on my bike this weekend. That's not bad for a lady recovering from a cold. I expect to sleep really, really well tonight, too. (Especially since the central air is on.)

After my shower this evening, I stopped at Whole Foods for some comfort food. Cooking is the last thing I want to do, so I stopped by the deli case. I also picked up fixings for my ultimate comfort food which I indulged in minutes before starting this entry.

Heather's Mexi-Beans

1 can refried beans
salsa
cheddar
sour cream
chips

Basically, scrape the contents of the can into a saucepan. Poor in some salsa and grate some cheese over the top. Heat over med heat, stirring. Once it gets bubbly, grate some more cheese and top with sour cream. Then eat right out of the saucepan with chips.

Sure, it may not be healthy. Sure, it may not promote portion control. But it damn well hit the spot. Especially with my margarita.

[Sometimes I wonder if cycling isn't going to end up making me fatter than thinner with the way I reward myself after my rides.]

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