Saturday, March 24, 2007

Viva La Center...Viva La Rain...48 miles

Today's ride was a lot like doing the first 2 legs of a triathlon...swimming and biking. My view was hindered on the entire route by the fog and water droplets clinging to my riding glasses (I am SO glad I had those today). It absolutely poured rain on us for hours. The only saving grace? It was a warm rain.

The ride leader said that there were 2 real climbs, and the rest of the route consisted of rollers...I think our definitions are different, there were many, many climbs. I define a "roller" as a section where you roll down one hill and your momentum can take you much of the way up the other side, and you continue that pattern for a while. These were climbs...

We were out in La Center, Washington, which is right at the edge of Cascade Mountains and the route to Mt. St. Helens. We rode for about 10 miles next to the Yacolt River (I think that's what it was).

We were also joined by a member of the Vancouver Bicycle Club, he came along to act as a guide since only one person had ever ridden this route. We also found out that he is a Lymphoma survivor. Since our honored teammate, Mary, wasn't with us today, Bill was a stand in. Ultimately, today's ride was a great test of our endurance, and our ability to persevere in the Rain.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am so proud of you for doing this. I wish I could have made you a cup of tea!