One Hundred Miles and Twenty Grand for Diabetes
It all started because I opened my big mouth (for a change).
My good friend Stewart found out that I had taken up biking to try and get in shape since the gym had proven time and time again to be a futile and expensive option. He mentioned that he was putting together a team of people to ride in the Tour de Cure 2008 to help raise money for Diabetes, and that I should join them. Sounded good to me! A target motivator for my biking and a great way to help raise some money for a good cause as well.
What I failed to factor into the equation was the fact that he was planning on doing the ‘big ride’, and by ‘big ride,’ I mean the 100 mile route. Now, at that point, the most miles I had ever done on my bike was about 25, and not many of those actually went up a hill. In fact, based on my physical conditioning at that point, I tried my best never to even walk up a hill if I didn’t have too.
But as I mentioned, I had already opened my big mouth, so as far as I was concerned, I had already committed. So, that gave me about three months to get in shape for the ‘big ride.’ This is where living in Boulder really started to pay off. If I hadn’t mentioned it sooner, one of the great features of Boulder Colorado, is the “Triathlete Vending Machines” they have at every corner. They are very effective devices. If you have any questions about physical conditioning or distance events of any kind, you simply stand at the corner, scream out your question and within approximately 30 seconds, you will receive at a minimum of three expert answers. No quarters needed (however, you may need to denounce doping several times for goodwill).
So, armed with a deadly combination of advice and motivation, I got my (tremendous) rear in gear and started biking whenever I could. I even started climbing a bit. Of course, my early definition of climbing involved standing at the bottom of Left Hand Canyon and muttering, “Yeah, I’m really gonna have to try this soon.” This is where some great friends like Ingrid and Brent really helped. They are both really accomplished bikers and made sure I had someone to draft as I trained. Never underestimate the value of the threat of humiliation in front of your friends as a motivator!
Fast forward: One week before the event.
On the Tuesday before the event, still the longest I had ridden up to that point was about 40 miles. I figured it was time to test my endurance and headed out for a trip up to Carter Lake and back. A round trip of 60 miles from my house with a pretty aggressive climb in the middle getting up to the Lake. I managed the ride, but did not feel well at all for the last 10 miles back to my house. I immediately got on the horn to my friend Stewart and tested the withdrawal waters.
He calmed me down, explained that although the ride was just over 100 miles, from mile 50 on, it was pretty much downhill so I had nothing to worry about. Did I mention he’s a really good salesman? Anyway, he talked me off my ledge and I re-committed to being there. Besides, by that point, a bunch of really great people had already donated around $2,000.00 on the promise that I was doing the ride. I couldn’t let them down (re-read that ‘humiliation in front of your friends’ part above).
Saturday, August 23rd, 6am:
From left: Jon Brandon, Me, Stewart Booker, Jim Behmer, Gregg Behmer, Jason Wisniewski
We’re up and lined up for the ride at the Longmont Fairgrounds about to leave for this:
This daring course is only for those ready for a grand challenge. Ride north towards Loveland, then through an elevation gain of approximately 3100 feet to beautiful Estes Park through Glen Haven. We’ve changed the start/finish, but have preserved the most loved aspects of our 75-mile ride of years past – the beautiful ride through Big Thompson Canyon, the ever-so challenging switchback of Devil’s Gulch road, and the amazing scenery once you make it to the top! This ride is for those bold enough to take on a fantastic challenge in the name of combating diabetes.
Or, click here for the full route.
As we head out, I realize that It’s really just not a good idea for me to try and keep up the pace of the rest of my team, so I slow down and just ride my ride. What was amazing to me, was how, with so many people in the ride, I could ride for about 30 miles or so and be completely alone? I passed one or two people here and there, but for the most part, I was really just riding without anyone else in sight.
Stewart had prepped me for the big climb – the part right before you get to the top of Estes Park right around mile 47 or so – the part everyone calls “The Wall.” So again, I was taking my time on the 30 mile climb leading up to that point, trying to conserve my energy for the hard part. As I approached mile 45, I rounded a canyon bend, and immediately realized why it was so aptly nicknamed. I felt like if I didn’t slow down, I might just run right into it since it truly ascended from what I thought was the road surface into something I could only start to describe as a ‘heavenly ascension,’ straight up. Somehow, I thought it was a joke and the road would quickly veer to the right or left like an old-time haunted house amusement ride would do just before you enter the clutches of the beast. But no. It was really right there in front of me. This hideous thing full of screaming and moaning people, curving steeply up the mountain side into the clouds.
I engaged my fall-back strategy of moving just fast enough to not fall over and starting counting the pedal revolutions until my death. After about a half-mile into my maddening mantra of ‘just don’t stop and you’ll survive,’ I noticed a Red Rider (a rider who suffers from Diabetes) stopped on the side of the road. It was my buddy Stewart, who, apparently felt bad that I was riding alone and feigned some bad leg cramps so he could wait for me.
Now that I had someone to ride with / motivate me, the rest of the ride (after we got to the top of ‘The Wall’ of course) was a piece of cake. Drafting with a bunch of other guys for while and just tooling along with Stewart for a bunch of miles really made for an enjoyable ride. The scenery was simply spectacular, and crossing the finish line after 100 miles to the cheers of all the Tour de Cure supporters was truly inspirational and also quite emotional for me. I wasn’t giving myself great odds on finishing the ride, but knowing I had done it, and still feeling good at the same time, brought a real rush of energy and excitement. And the best part of the whole deal was knowing that between myself and the rest of the guys on Team Grateful Dads, we finished as one of the top three teams this year and had raised over $20,000.00 for Diabetes.
I can’t thank enough those of you that donated for this event. Not only did you help us raise a tremendous amount of money for a great cause, but your involvement kept me going and helped me achieve apersonal goal that I never would have believed was possible. Thank you.
Some quick facts:
Total miles ridden: 103.67
Total time on the road: 7hrs, 15min.
Total time actually riding: 6hrs 2 min.
Number of curses screamed while climbing: 25 or 30
Number of packets of Gu consumed: 10
Number of flat tires and mechanical breakdowns: 0
Number of times passed by the old and handicapped: Too many to count
Number of pounds I lost: Not sure, but my wife thinks I’m looking pretty sporty!
Number of times I considered giving up: 0
