This past weekend I participated in the Storming of Thunder Ridge, a ride to benefit the Central Virginia YMCA. Me and my friend Peter signed up for it months ago thinking a 75 mile bike ride up to the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway was a great idea! Despite my nerves leading up to the ride, having never ridden that far before in one day, and never coming close to biking up a mountain, I finished thinking, yeah, okay, that was a great idea! (For me at least...due to recent injuries Peter had to switch to the 27 mile ride, but hopefully we'll tackle this again next year!)
Luckily, even though I lost Peter as my go-to bike buddy at mile 10 where our routes diverged, I found someone (Maggie from North Caroline - pictured in the pink jersey) at mile 25, which was the beginning of the 13-mile climb up the mountain. I decided to start riding with her because she seemed to match my pace - she matched my pace so well in fact that we rode the remaining 50 miles together. We chugged up the mountain at a whopping 5-6 mph for the better part of two hours and made friends with some other riders from West Virginia. The last three miles of that climb were definitely tough, but having buddies in addition to the amazing views got me through it.
Peter met me at the top of the mountain (Elevation 3950 feet!) and captured the triumphant last push to the rest stop. After a nice 20 minute break to rest our weary legs, me and Maggie set off to finish the ride. We zipped down the mountain and at one point I reached a new top speed of 40.4 MPH!! It was a little scary but incredibly exhilarating - especially given the beautiful scenery along the way.
The last 20 miles of the ride found us winding through farms and rural neighborhoods at which point the sun really started beating down. The route was surprisingly hilly at that point and I found myself struggling to get up some of the hills towards the end. The last three miles were especially tough - I was tired, I was starting to feel dehydrated, and I was definitely learning the limits of my bike shorts. But luckily I had my riding buddy to keep me motivated till the end. We rode up to that finish line and we were nothing but smiles, so proud of the fact that, HOLY SH*T! We just did that!
I learned some very important lessons on that ride. 1) That I have the mental and physical capabilities to get through a 75 mile ride with 6,800 feet of elevation increase, 2) I need to drink more water, 3) I probably need to eat more food too, and 4) probably the most important thing I learned is how incredibly helpful it is to have a support group when riding long distances. Bike & Build alum always tell me that your fellow Bike & Builders will basically become your family and I get it now. After knowing Maggie for 6 hours I was already leaning on her for support and motivation towards the end of the ride. We finished that ride having struggled through the same hills, the same heat, the same wind, and because of that we were strangely connected for a short period of time. I can't even imagine how that will be amplified over the course of 11 weeks, with 31 other people, but I can tell you one thing! I'm so freaking excited to find out!!
Luckily, even though I lost Peter as my go-to bike buddy at mile 10 where our routes diverged, I found someone (Maggie from North Caroline - pictured in the pink jersey) at mile 25, which was the beginning of the 13-mile climb up the mountain. I decided to start riding with her because she seemed to match my pace - she matched my pace so well in fact that we rode the remaining 50 miles together. We chugged up the mountain at a whopping 5-6 mph for the better part of two hours and made friends with some other riders from West Virginia. The last three miles of that climb were definitely tough, but having buddies in addition to the amazing views got me through it.
Peter met me at the top of the mountain (Elevation 3950 feet!) and captured the triumphant last push to the rest stop. After a nice 20 minute break to rest our weary legs, me and Maggie set off to finish the ride. We zipped down the mountain and at one point I reached a new top speed of 40.4 MPH!! It was a little scary but incredibly exhilarating - especially given the beautiful scenery along the way.
The last 20 miles of the ride found us winding through farms and rural neighborhoods at which point the sun really started beating down. The route was surprisingly hilly at that point and I found myself struggling to get up some of the hills towards the end. The last three miles were especially tough - I was tired, I was starting to feel dehydrated, and I was definitely learning the limits of my bike shorts. But luckily I had my riding buddy to keep me motivated till the end. We rode up to that finish line and we were nothing but smiles, so proud of the fact that, HOLY SH*T! We just did that!
I learned some very important lessons on that ride. 1) That I have the mental and physical capabilities to get through a 75 mile ride with 6,800 feet of elevation increase, 2) I need to drink more water, 3) I probably need to eat more food too, and 4) probably the most important thing I learned is how incredibly helpful it is to have a support group when riding long distances. Bike & Build alum always tell me that your fellow Bike & Builders will basically become your family and I get it now. After knowing Maggie for 6 hours I was already leaning on her for support and motivation towards the end of the ride. We finished that ride having struggled through the same hills, the same heat, the same wind, and because of that we were strangely connected for a short period of time. I can't even imagine how that will be amplified over the course of 11 weeks, with 31 other people, but I can tell you one thing! I'm so freaking excited to find out!!