A man without a country.. or a gal without her team ;-\

Last weekend, the Team Hole in the Wall challenge, was the first organized ride I have done without my TNT team mates. I have to stop and think about just what that means. It was a much smaller ride than I am used to, and by small, I mean there were far fewer riders than I am used to. The periods of  being alone, were much more frequent than any other group ride I have ever been on. They weren't bad, just different than what I usually see in an organized ride. Billy was there, but by mile 50, I was starting to slow and he, well, he wasn't. So, I found myself lagging behind. It was fine, but my usually 'peeps' weren't there. No Coach Henry, telling me in his booming voice to soften my elbows; no Coach Dave, with his dry sense of humor. No Rita coming up behind me on a hill, saying 'we love to ride our bicycles', no Jen. NO JEN!!! NO JEN??? Nope, no Jen, I can't do a ride without Jen!!!! No Pauly and none of the banter that we typically enjoy on our training and event rides. Just me and Billy. And for quite a while, just me.

OH.. yeah.. new Team Hole in the Wall jersey. Don't ask.

But, just me is okay! I finished. I did get lost at the end and took a wrong turn, which probably added a mile or so to the ride, but I finished, with Billy sitting there waiting, and the support group ringing cowbells, and the tears in my eyes (okay, so that is the same, with or without my team).

I think, like a kid taking the car out on the road right after they get their license, this is a step for me. A big step in my independence as a cyclist. I needed this. I needed to know I could do a ride on my own. Having signed up for Peak Season in Lake George (so far about 200 riders), the Team Hole in the Wall was good practice for me riding without the team, gaining that independence. I made it the 62 without my team, so I am pretty sure I will make the 100 on my own too.  But, will it be as much fun?

September 11, 2011

The state of the sunflowers are leading me to believe that fall is not far away.

Short, slow recovery ride this morning. Who am I kidding, recovery??? I just wanted to ride. Period. Addicted I am. Besides, the beautiful mornings like this one are soon to be a thing of the past (Welcome, Autumn), so I need to take advantage of the weather while it lasts.

I stayed on the roads that I know, nothing new and adventurous. Had enough of that yesterday. Yesterday? Seems like a distant memory, the burning legs, the labored breath... Yesterday,  I rode the Team Hole in the Wall Challenge. A charity ride benefiting the Hole in the Wall Camp, which was founded by Paul Newman. It was a wonderful ride, very, very well supported, SAG wagons, support on motorcycles, really excellent. For the times I found myself riding alone, there was always some guy on a motorcycle not far away if I needed anything. It was a very challenging ride. 62 miles of hills. I had a feeling when we left the camp and immediately started on a downhill, bad juju. The hills were not huge, not long, there were just a blessed ton of them. And, was it just me? There seemed to be no downhills in between them. Seems like you would just start picking up some speed and either you had to slow for a turn, or went right back up. The only place I really felt like I gained any speed was on the one rather big downhill where I caught enough momentum to get the bike up to 40.5 mph... personally the fastest I have ever gone. Now if you know me, you know how I hate going downhill fast, but either I have changed or something in me has changed because I am kinda sorta starting to like it.
Camp Hole in the Wall is such a good place, such a happy place, I tried to carry some of that wonder with me on the ride. The first pedal stroke brought out some tears, as did the last. That is to be expected, I guess. The feeling of being a  part of something that is so much bigger than myself, something that helps so many kids.  Thanks, Paul Newman!

A banner in the dining hall, thanks for the picture Billy!

Today, September 11th, I did my recovery ride, or my Karen just wants to get back on the bike and do a little "slow,Sunday morning, cruising down the road" ride. Not a lot to say about it, other than it was a good thing I had a pocket full of tissues. I got to see the gang of old men at the Dunkin' Donuts, sitting in their usual Sunday morning spot, the corner table, with their oxygen tanks hooked up. They gave me a smile and a nod, the usual!  Below are the pictures I took with my phone, on this morning.

A moment of silence outside of the church in Pine Meadow, I stopped and joined them for a few minutes. Left with my glasses fogged up and such a feeling of unity.

Everywhere, there were subtle reminders

Peace.

The road I know...

Took an awesome ride today. Started out by myself and didn't take a route sheet, or even a plan. I had a couple of ideas of some routes I wanted to try, but nothing definite. I figured I would just point the bike down a road and go that way, or this way. Since it was MY ride, and mine alone, I made up my own rules. I would take at least one road that I didn't know, and, more importantly, if I saw something I liked I would stop and take a picture (I remembered the point and shoot today!) Go me!

Since I was riding alone, I thought I would use the time wisely. I would meditate and focus my mind, which is usually racing along at the speed of light (unlike my 56 yr old body). I started out early, a little before 8AM, with the sun at my back. First thing that caught my attention was my shadow. Hello, Shadow, I say in my mind, you look marvelous, you look like you have lost some weight.  Good.

The falls in Collinsville

My mind is moving too fast, reel it back in. I am thinking about Irene, the hurricane. What kind of damage am I going to see when I hit Collinsville? What is the river going to look like? I turn the corner and there is the river. Beautiful. I try to reconcile that it is beautiful, and that it devastated my husbands crops.

Early morning steam coming up off the river.

I continue on. I am on roads that I know. My mind is thinking of the Tucson ride. I am not going. If I was on the fence (for various reasons), Irene made it a done deal. There just isn't enough disposable income right now. Period. Not enough money. Definitely a road I know. I tell my mind to stop. Try to focus, riding meditation, quiet the thoughts. Poop, I think it isn't working.

I am now on Rt179, typically I would turn left and go out Rt 44, but today I decide to go straight. It is a road that I know, but not as well as others. I remember that it is hilly. For once, I am remembering right. I go through Canton center, my head is bursting with thoughts the whole time. Shut up, I say to myself. Just shut up.  I am distracted for a minute by the United Methodist Church of North Canton that comes up on my right. Simple, plain in true Methodist fashion, but so beautiful still. Beautiful in it's simplicity, or beautiful because of it's simplicity, I don't know. I don't care.. either way, it is beautiful, and it distracts me from number one, my thoughts, and number two.. the blessed hill.  (A good friend of mine suggested I exchange the word bless, blessed or blessings for a harsher alternative that I sometimes use -- frick of course).  After the church, I came upon a really neat little shed on a property. Had to stop for a picture. I loved the way the light filtered through windows at the top of the building.

I would buy this property just for the cool shed.

Now, this part of Rt 179 I have not been on. I have stayed on 179 as far as the turn for Rt 309, but never any further. So, I am now on a road that I don't know. There is something exciting about being on a road that I don't know, there is also something a little scary. Not knowing what is over the next hill, not knowing what is around the next bend... sort of like life, or sort of like making changes in your life. Thoughts thoughts thoughts, they are not good or bad, just thoughts, thoughts are things. I think about becoming a person standing on the sidewalk, watching traffic go by. I don't react to my thoughts, just let them go by. That seems to quiet them down some.

I keep going and this part of Rt 179 is not for the faint of heart. HILLY! It looks like it will just be some gentle rolling hills, but they are deceiving. They just seem to go up and up. I am stubborn and I keep going. I come upon some state workers, in their big orange trucks. They are standing around the back of the truck, as I pedal up the blessed hill. Good morning, I say, out loud. First words I have spoken out loud since I left the house. I smile and say, this is one blessed hill!  Yep, one of the tells me, and you have a ways more to go.  Just what I needed to hear. Bless it. I eventually come to another group and I stopped for a minute to ask them some directions. I know there is a cross street, but I am not sure how far away it is, and I want to confirm that this street will take me over to Rt 219. They confirm the directions for me and I pedal on.

Eventually I come to Hillcrest Rd. Another road I don't know. I make the left and think to myself.. yup, with a name like Hillcrest there is no doubt a hill involved. And there was, but then surprisingly the road went down. Yes, finally a downhill, or at least a downgrade. I just start to build some speed and right in front of me in the road is a big old tom turkey so I stopped to watch him for a minute. I am a firm believer in animals showing themselves to us for a reason, and seeing a turkey symbolizes all of the blessings that the Earth contains (shared blessings)... funny how I have been using the word bless a lot and I see a turkey, and actually it is the second turkey in two weeks. I wanted to take a picture, but Tom the turkey didn't like me much and started to flare up his tail feathers and flap his wings, so I moved on, quickly.

After I turned off Hillcrest, I was again on a road I know, the downside of Rt 219 (thank goodness it was not the up side, my legs were feeling like butter). Down the hill, up the hill, down the hill. Past the Saville Dam, beautiful spot, and then out to Riverton.  West River Rd..is so pretty, old Federal style antique homes, pretty much no traffic except for the few fishermen going to the river to cast their lines. The broken bridge looks especially pretty today, had to stop and take a picture.

I love the broken bridge, makes me want to see what it looked like when it was whole.

 

 

 

Once in Riverton, I stopped at the General Store, got a snack and another water, used the public toilet, which should be voted the best incidental potty in the State of CT. I was going to head back towards home, but I needed to make some miles, and if I went home, I would be short. So I went out Robertsville Road, again, a road I know, but in the opposite direction. From there, I cut down Rt 8, back towards Winsted, and then back to Riverton on Rt 20, then back on East River Road  headed towards home. I was by the Pleasant Valley Drive In when Bill called and said he would meet me on Rt44. We met up and then decided to go back to Riverton because I was still short on miles. So.. again I head out to Riverton, and again I stop at the General Store (by now the clerk has seen me 3 times, and I can tell she is giving me the greasy eye.  Since I made 3 visits to the General Store, I had to include a picture of it...


Three times a charm, was time to head home. My legs were really rubbery, we hit Rt 44, went back through Collinsville, down my favorite New Road, which although it is New, and it is newly paved, I know it well. It takes me home.

I guess the road home should always be the road we know best.  That is the best thing my head has said all day.

Distance: 62.2 miles
Average speed: 13.1 mph
Max Speed: 36.2
Vertical Climb: 4000+ feet (I argue this, I don't think it was this much)