"Rain is grace; rain
is the sky descending to the
earth; without rain, there
would be no life."
John Updike
I check a few times to see if the century is canceled due to the prediction for rain and possible storms, but it is not. So I pack my things, double checking for rain gear, a rain cap and a waterproof phone case. Then I head out. I decide not to pack my rain jacket as the rain is not supposed to arrive until the afternoon and it should be hot by them. I do pack a small, disposable poncho, something I try to carry during the summer when storms can pop up suddenly and without warning.
Too well I remember a hot summer ride where the rain caught us on what was a sweltering day reducing us to a mob of shivering, miserable cyclists....at least until we bought and adorned ourselves in white, plastic garbage bags, tearing a hole for head and arms: the time I joked about riding with white trash. I think it was the first time, at least that I remember, where I was so cold my body shuddered in strong, involuntary contractions in an attempt to warm itself. To this day, I wonder why they make some trash bags white. Seems rather an odd choice of colors for the task. Like the time I wore a white dress on a first date and we went for barbecue ribs which I promptly spilled onto my lap.
I like most of this century; however, I greatly dislike the unnecessary section on River Road. River Road is a dangerous road with impatient motorists and no shoulder for a cyclist to move over. But it is what it is and there is only three to four miles on it. Still, considering it and the coming rain, I decide to ask the ride captain if I am able to start the ride early. Sam says yes and so off I go leaving the others in the parking lot. Steve Rice, Mark R., Dave King, and Steve Meredith catch me a bit down the road having left early as well.
As I ride through neighborhoods, a solitary woman on a bike, I think how nice it is to leave early, before traffic has become too thick. It is so peaceful. I like riding in the morning while much of the world is sleeping or gathered around the table eating breakfast. The neighborhoods are wrapped in quietness other than bird song and the occasional dog disturbed by my unexpected passage or an unidentified rustling in the bushes. Everything is lush and vibrant nurtured by the moistness and rain that has haunted this area recently and seems to show no sign of abating. "One of those summers," I think. I am glad it was not my decision to have or to cancel the ride today with summer being so unpredictable. Summer flowers adorn green lawns in bright colors. Even humid, hot, rainy summers have their benefits I suppose.
Despite the coolness of morning, it is obviously humid. Even with the flatness of the first part of the course, my skin begins to glow. If only the moisture would sink in and revitalize my skin, I think. I have never considered myself to be particularly vain, maybe because I know that while I am not ugly, I am not a beauty, but I dislike the coming of crepey skin. Of course, cycling is hard on the skin. And I have done a lot of cycling. A song reaches my lips despite those thoughts and I find my rhythm, the one I know that I can maintain for a hundred miles barring something unforeseen.
Before they catch me, I think about where on the course I will probably be when the rain hits. I speed my pedal stroke thinking to minimize my chances of getting a good soaking. I really don't mind rain, though, in the summer. I only truly mind the storms or torrential downpours that impact visibility and my ability to see and my ability to brake if needed or the downpours that leave you shivering cold to the point where even pedaling can't warm you. Indeed, as I told a friend who rode yesterday rather than today because of the rain, better a rain ride and some coolness than that blasted heat that saps my strength so quickly and so thoroughly. He does not agree.
I hurry through the first store stop after eating my homemade blueberry oatmeal bar and Annette Melecio, a triathlete, John Pelligrino, and Dave King come with me. They ask about Steve and Mark, but I really didn't notice if they had already left the store stop. Dave says he is in training for PBP and getting in and out of controls or stops rapidly. (He will forget this by the third store stop where Annette, John, and I roll out without him while he finishes a milk shake). Dave's relationship with food always amazes and charms me. Dave and Steve are both headed back to PBP this year and I feel a momentary tinge of regret for not being part of it, but I just don't want to be that tired again. Twice, I think, is enough.
The first climb is Liberty Knob and I warn them about the dogs at the top. There is a group of three or four of them that always come out. I have talked to the owner about them and others have talked with the owner about them, but he is unwilling and/or unable to control them. They have never bitten a cyclist that I know of, but they can be quite scary. There are times when I change my route to avoid them. I am wary of groups of dogs like I am groups of people: both do things in groups that they would never do individually. Today, however, they are not as bad as usual. Perhaps, I think, because the stronger riders have already passed this way and wore them out. Even dogs seems to grow lazy in this humid heat.
The second climb is William's Knob, better known to me as Bill's Knob as it is on my Marengo Mangler ride and I would tease my friend, Bill, about it. Teasing. I think that perhaps it is a sign of a good relationship so long it is not hurtful. The climb is not quite as long as Liberty, but a bit steeper. Since my left knee has been bothering me a bit the past few rides, I decide to drop into my triple, something I don't normally do on this climb. It is newly paved which makes climbing it easier. I tell the group Sam said there is now a dog residing at the top, and there is; however, he never leaves his yard.
And now is the time to look forward to the descent on Daisy Hill, the one that always amuses me as a cyclist will almost inevitably being going MUCH faster than the speed limit when the hill ends. I always envision a law enforcement officer with his radar gun pulling over cyclist after cyclist. This is the hill that last year, people worried that Tom Askew had gone down on as he did not show for the lunch stop. (He just missed the stop as it is not right on the course and rode onward). After the descent, we go to Subway but there is a long line of the faster riders waiting to be served so we head a few streets over to a local cafe for lunch.
It turns out we arrive prior to lunch. They tell us food will be quick, and it is. In the end, however, it does not matter as while we are eating the skies open up, thunder cracks, lightening flares, and rain comes down in a torrent. We wait until the worst of it passes and head out into a drizzle. Dave has a rain jacket, I have a cheap emergency poncho that I usually carry on the bike, and Annette and John (with some help from Annette) adorn trash bags donated by the restaurant.
I worry that we will overheat on the climb that comes almost immediately after the lunch stop, but needlessly. The air has chilled and I am glad to have my poncho. It is not too long after, however, that I decide I am starting to sweat inside and stop to take off so as not to dehydrate. It also reduces the enormous drag that being inside a plastic bubble has on forward movement. And we are moving. Each of us seems intent on a fast (for me) pace. It is cold starting out, but soon the work of the ride warms me. Annette and John have followed suit removing their trash bags. We save our plastic just in case, but we never need it. The rain has cooled things down making the ride much more pleasant.
We roll into the third store stop thinking the fast group is in front, but they pull in as we (well, all except Dave) are finishing a quick bite and drink. I worry about Chris Embry not being in the fast group, but I know he had a rather serious fall. What I did not know....what he did not know until later....is that he is riding with broken ribs. (Been there, done that). In the end, we will end up finishing with this group, but only because they waited at lunch until the rain stopped whereas we did not. The hills are getting to our legs. Though there are no significant climbs after the climb to Rake Road right after lunch, there are lots of rollers. And we have been pushing.
The end is a whirl. I end up finishing with Thomas Nance's group only because they have to stop at a stop light, but as I look around at that light I realize that I probably have children as old or older than some of the riders. For a 67 year old woman, I suppose I did okay. The rain actually helped by keeping the temperature down. I just suffer anymore when it is really hot, and my pace shows it. I vow not to ride so hard the next century, but who knows. What a blessing to have the health to ride, slowly or quickly, and ride for a hundred miles. Is there any better way to spend the day? And thank goodness for the rain that not only cooled us for the effort, but will lend her beauty to future rides by keeping everything so verdant.
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