Ok, so this is it.
The last evening before the Death Ride Tour kicks off. I just finished check in, dug through all my
swag in the promo bag, and am about to head off for the pasta dinner and happy
hour. Tomorrow, we’ll take off starting
at 8am. To say my nerves are bothering
me is an understatement.
Digging through the swag, tryin' it on and poppin' some tags. |
I couldn’t sleep the last couple nights thinking about the
ride. I was questioning everything about
my training and preparation. Will my
legs be strong enough to climb sixteen thousand feet for three days? Will my lungs keep me from passing out and
falling off a cliff at 11,000 feet? Will
my butt survive over 230 miles in the saddle without falling off? What else can I do?
I don’t know. But it
would help if I could at least get some decent sleep. My head was fuzzy and my stomach ached on the
ride yesterday morning. And (no offense
Char) it was a ridiculously slow and easy ride.
I have done everything I could think of, and had time for,
to prepare.
I’ve ridden in the mountains at high altitude. I have ridden daily, sometimes twice daily,
to get used to being in the saddle for endless hours on back-to-back days. I’ve done hill repeats to strengthen my legs
and lungs. I’ve done long rides in the
wind to increase my endurance. I’ve been
in Durango, CO, for 4 days acclimating and have ridden three times here.
Riding around Durango has been a great boost to my overall confidence in preparation for this weekend. Wednesday’s ride took me on a 30 mile loop up into the hills outside Durango. I climbed out of the river valley into oak scrub brush, then into white aspen groves over rushing mountain rivers, and finally up into deep green pine forest, before descending very quickly back into town. It was a rush, and the scenery alone made it worth riding.
The views of the mountains during my ride were incredible, especially when I realized that I was about to ride around them. |
Chillin' on the Baker's Bridge while Char catches her breath. |
But today was the drive up to Ouray (and Orvis Hot Springs
for a nice soak) which paralleled the route we’ll be using on the last day, and
the start tomorrow. The winding and
fatally steep climbs took my breath away.
The technical descents along curves with thousand foot drop offs had
Char nervous in the seat next to me.
It was a great opportunity to preview the route I’ll be on
for the next three days, but it also left me nervous and stressed out, possibly
even terrified.
I’ve run out of ideas and time to do anything to prepare but
hope I survive the ride.
And why am I doing this?
Part of me is still trying to answer that question. It seemed like a really good idea 7 months
ago when I was bored and looking for a challenge. In theory it seemed totally plausible to
prepare myself while deployed and finish off what training was needed once I
was stateside. In practice, there were
so many more demands on my time than I thought possible.
The most difficult dilemma faced, was how much other
physical training to sacrifice so that I could focus on cycling? That is a discussion that I will save for
another time, maybe as Char and I prepare for the Iron Soldier Triathlon in the
fall.
For now, I will just have to suck up my own fear, and remember
the two main purposes of this ride.
The first was to take me out of my comfort zone in cycling,
to push my limits to a new level.
The second was to commemorate lost loved ones of everyone
that has supported both my fundraising and training for this ride.
Thank you.
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