Ron's Race Report!

Leslie and I started the race after checking in and getting directions. After about three miles or so I hooked up with a group so I could be pulled along. When you are riding in a group you get the advantage of a wind break and when you are at the back so it does not take as much energy to get up to speed.

At this point I was feeling pretty good and then one of the group got a flat tire so I left them and headed to the first SAG stop. I had a banana and filled my water bottles so I was ready to go and I headed out to the next stop which was only 11 miles away. I made it to the next stop and took a break for more food and water. I checked my cell because I had not seen Leslie, but I knew she would call if there was a problem. I started out for the halfway point and I was told that I could join a group that was heading out. I don’t know about other places, but here in Tucson, most bicyclists are really nice; they don’t care about your ability, the just think it is great that you are out and riding.

Off we went! We passed this one guy he asked how we went so fast and I told him you just have to get in the back and you will get pulled along. A little while later I was getting tired so I fell off the group. It was about this time that a guy caught up with me and we rode together and chatted. This is another great thing as it takes your mind off of the fact that you are pedaling along.

We came upon another group of cyclists at a stop sign and watched as car went by, then we all pulled out. At this point, the guy in the car realized that he had missed his turn so he put the car in reverse and headed back towards our group! All the cyclists scattered to the sides of the road and the oncoming traffic lane. Nobody got hurt but there were a few choice words for that guy. I was getting really tired at this point (we were approaching the halfway point), but I would get words of encouragement from the people that had made it and were on their way back. I finally made it to the 50 mile mark, and when I unclipped from my pedals and put my feet down I discovered that my legs had the consistency of jello. I thought for a minute that I was going to fall over. Time for some rest!

I grabbed some food and sat down under a tree. There were so many bees there for the free lunch you had to hit and run at the table. After a little while the guy I was riding with asked if I was ready to go. This is when a bee hit the collar of my shirt and went down my back and stung me, and then his buddy bees noticed me so there were more bees headed my way so I hopped on my bike and took off. This was a slight downhill so it helped me get out of there quickly. Then we came to some rolling hills and there was some question as to whether we were going the right way and as I climbed, I thought to myself, if this is not right, there is no way I am going back over these hills.

So I am riding along, and I am on one of the downhills and I see this animal (which I thought was a horse) walking down the side of the road. When I got closer, I realized that it was a cow. As I realized that it was a cow, it decided to cross the road, right in front of me. I had to swerve into the oncoming traffic lane to avoid t-boning the cow. I made it to the next stop and thought to myself, whooohooo! less then 30 miles to go. I had some more food and water and headed out to the last stop which was another 11 miles away. I was very tired when I got there, but I knew that I only had about 20 miles left and I could not quit now.

This is when I noticed that Leslie had tried to call me many times, so I tried to call her. I did not reach her so the best thing to do was head out, so I was on my way when Leslie called me again. She had opted to do the 64 miles instead of the 100 and she was already done and she asked me how far out I was. I told her about 17 miles…

This was the longest 17 miles I have ever ridden. I kept looking for the turns and figuring that I should already be there. The total mileage the sponsors had on the directions said that the route was 101 miles, but that was not correct -- it was actually 104.6 miles. To add insult to injury, I had missed one turn earlier and had a couple extra miles from that. I hit 100 miles and I thought to myself, I can quit now -- I have hit the 100 miles. I can call Leslie and tell her to come scrape me off the side of the road. I didn’t do it though, I just kept on pedaling.

I finally made it to the last turn. THE END WAS IN SIGHT. Leslie called again to check on me and I told her I was on the main road back to the start. She told me she had food for me, I just had to come to the back of the parking lot. I then told her that I was not going to make it that far. The funny part was that the guys’ pediatrician also rides and she happened to be there when Leslie talked to me. Once she hung up from me, Leslie told the doctor that she may have to stick around because I did not sound good. I made it to the front and at this point my lower back was killing me so I got up out of the saddle and pedaled in standing up. I was so happy to make it to the other end of the parking lot and get off my bike. Just think! I get to do it all over again on Nov 18th.