This was the best weekend in many ways. The weather was absolutely perfect. A bit chilly in the morning but by noon it was in the mid to upper 70s. The sun was out and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. It was an autumn morning....you know crisp and clear. But the best thing about this past weekend was the ride. My Mom, my team, and I rode in the annual MS 150 in La Conner, Washington. Our weekend began on Friday afternoon as we left our home for La Conner. A 99 mile drive to the north. The traffic was horrendous but the pay off was worth it.
It was a two day event. The first day, Saturday, we woke up at 5:30 AM and had breakfast in our hotel. My Dad and brother also came along, not to ride but to support us. We drove to the MS village where we met our fellow team mates. We had our team photo taken at 7:30 and then we all went over to the starting line. The atmosphere was electric! People were cheering and dancing and many of the cyclists were dressed in costumes. Some of the costumes were pretty funny and original. There was music blurring and well wishers gathered along the streets. The teams were going out in waves. An announcer would say the team’s names and then people would cheer and off they would go. Finally, our team approached the start line. I can’t describe how excited I was. It was an experience you would have to live to understand just how amazing it was!
Saturday’s ride was very hilly. Did I say it was hilly?! It was HILLY! But the scenery was gorgeous. We pedaled along the water on our way to Anacortes. The views along the sound and of Mount Baker were breath taking. Our first rest stop was only 9 miles into the ride but Jackie and I stopped for water and to chat with our fellow team mates. It was all about having fun too. I took pictures ate a banana and then we were off again. One of my favorite parts of day one’s ride was crossing Deception Pass . . . with a MOTORCYCLE escort! The motorcycles would escort groups of cyclists over the bridge that crosses Deception Pass. I felt like I was in the Tour De France! LOL And the view, it was the best part of the ride.
After we crossed Deception Pass we had a thrilling downhill! My mom and I were going over 37 mph (trust me it felt great after pedaling up the pass)! At the end of our exhilarating downhill was our lunch stop. They had turkey, tuna salad, and veggie wraps along with assorted fruit, and power bars. We grabbed lunch and sat down on the grass and ate. We met some of our team mates and they joined us and we talked about Deception Pass. Finally full and rested we headed off for the last 25 miles of our ride. Wouldn’t you know after lunch and with full bellies we had to CLIMB AGAIN! Awaiting us was another long long climb, but my mom and I made it without stopping! We had one more rest stop about 10 miles later and we finished the last 15 miles with ease! Elated we crossed the finish line a little past noon. Not bad! Joe and Aaron were waiting for us. We drove back to the hotel and showered and rested until dinner when we left to meet some of our team members for Mexican. We returned to our hotel room and went to sleep ready for tomorrow’s ride!
Again, the alarm went off at 5:30 AM and my Mom, Dad, and I got dressed and headed to the MS 150 village. My brother stayed in bed! LOL He was tired. We went to the start line again and it was a repeat of yesterday. The excitement and enthusiasm was still there. People were cheering, dancing, and yelling their support. The atmosphere was still electric. Our team approached the start line and again the announcer called out our name as we took off. Sunday’s ride was not hilly BUT it sure was WINDY! Yes, windy! We had one hellacious head wind on Sunday. My mom asked me if I would rather climb or pedal with a head wind and I said I would take hills any day! My Mom agreed with me! It felt like we were pushing against a wall at times. But the scenery that morning was surreal. The sun streaming through the cyclists as they pedaled along the country roads was just something to see. I don’t think a camera can capture what the eye can see sometimes. It was just beautiful. We started again about the same time as yesterday about 7:45 and finished at 12:07 PM. We stopped at the rest stops and lunch stop. Again they had wraps for us and power bars and breakfast cookies. The cookies were the best! When we crossed the finish line on the second day they presented all riders with a medal! And on both days at the finish there were people cheering for us as we crossed the line!
We did it! We had fun, we raised money for a good cause, and we met some pretty nice people too. The MS people had a BBQ and party waiting for us. They had hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, cookies, pudding, fruit, and all kinds of drinks. There was a beer garden and a band playing. We could not stay long for the festivities because we had a drive home and traffic to face. So we said good bye to our team mates and friends and headed for home exhausted but happy! We are planning to train all through the year and do the ride again next year!
P.S. Check out our hotel...it was scary like the Shining!!!
1 comment:
Sounds amazing, but I'm pretty sure bicycle tires don't hold up at speeds past 35 mph. They explode or something. Trust me, I'm a math teacher, I know these things =)
Wow, you guys must have ate a lot of powerbars! I've never seen so many cyclists in neon windbreakers in my LIFE. Love the scenery though--and I have to say--great pose in that one middle picture!
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