Take a seat, this is a novel
On Saturday, I rode my bike for 10 hours and 22 minutes, covering 125 miles and climbing over 16,000 feet at an average pace just around 12mph. My hands have blisters, I have a saddle sore that seems to be growing by the minute, and my back is tight and achy, but it was seriously one of the best days I can remember.
Mindy and I had registered for the Diabolical Double, 125 miles with 16,000 feet of climbing. The course also had a 102 mile option, with a very respectable 12,000 feet. The two courses followed the same route until the 3rd aid station (about mile 58) so I gave myself until then to decide. I tried to tell myself that I should not be disappointed if I chose the century - I would still likely be in the saddle longer than I would for Ironman with much more climbing. But I knew I would always wonder in the back of my mind 'What if?...Could I have done it?' In the end, it didn't take until mile 58 to decide. Even before the two killer climbs at 45 and 55, Mindy and I had committed to the full 125. We were having so much fun, loving every second of every horrible climb, and we KNEW we were physically and mentally capable of rocking the Diabolic Double.
The day started atop a mountain, and ~500 people started to descend a windy, switch back road. We wanted no part of this group, so we waited until the group passed and started on our merry way. I got separated almost immediately from
Caroline and Mindy, but the road was a little slick, it was crowded and very foggy, so I decided to just focus on staying upright and figured we could regroup at the first stop. The first 18 miles were mostly downhill, 'a treat' said the Race Director, but also included a nasty, steep climb 'White Rock'. It was at this point, as this wasn't even a climb that I had noticed on the cue sheet and my heart was already pumping, that the theme of my day became 'downshift, spin spin spin' I tried to keep my cadence high, stay light on my feet, and not push any part beyond what was absolutely necessary. It wasn't even tough to watch others smash up the first climb, as I knew I had a long day ahead of me and taking each mile and each upward foot at a time was the only way I would survive.
I rolled into aid station #1 feeling good. I had really focused on getting liquids in, but I realized I had already been riding for 80 minutes and had taken in ZERO calories. After taking with my coach, I decided I was going to rely on the aid stations for my calories/nutrition, so I had only brought 1 tube of nuun and a few mini lara bars for emergencies. Coach also warned that keeping on top and AHEAD of my calories was key to this very long day - if I felt hungry, tired or famished at any point, it was too late. As I waited for Mindy at the first stop and munched on goldfish, I started to have a little panic attack - How in the world was I going to get enough calories in at the aid stations? I sucked down a Hammer Gels, put a few in my vest and followed Mindy's lead in making a little baggie of 'aid station trail mix' - gold fish, peanut m&ms, and mixed nuts. I put it in my bento box and figured if I could get through it between aid stations. WRONG WRONG WRONG.
Mindy and I rolled out from the aid station to hit the next 21.4 miles (3809 feet of climbing). I honestly don't remember much of this portion -I remember right away my legs feeling fatigued and heavy, but I knew it wasn't from the climbing, it was because I was hungry and really behind on calories. There is a reason I stick to liquid calories on the bike mostly - I just don't like to chew/deal with eating. So it was during this section that I decided the new plan was to take in at least 1-2 gels in between each aid station and at each stop I needed to get in as many calories as possible. This took the form of chocolate chip cookies and PB&J. When we arrive at the 2nd aid station, I was feeling better. I dropped my vest and arm warmers, shoved my face with cookies, and we were off.
The next stretch was the one we had heard the most about. It included two of the steepest climbs on the course, Bowman Hill and Killer Miller. Both were 'timed' for KOM and QOM, but the goal was just to get to the top. There was standing, there was a bit of weaving, there was lots of sweat, but at no point did I think I was going to need to walk, at no point did I curse my bike, and at no time did I want to cry. This was major progress from the climb up Massanutten over Memorial Day, and Mindy and I arrived at aid station 4 with huge smiles.
Between aid stations 3 and 4, we officially committed to the full 125 miles and rudely realized this was not the 'rolling section' we decided it was based on the pretty picture on the cue sheet. What we failed to realize was that the scale of this map was different than all the others, so what looked like 'rolling' was, in fact, steep climbing. But this section was also rewarded with sweeping, vast views, and when we started to make friends with others out on the roads. Despite the burning in our legs and lungs, and the ever growing pain in my ass, we were having SO MUCH FUN.
Oh, and just to make things fun, the section included 1.5 miles of gravel on Blue Lick Road. We got good advice from some of the roadies around us (stay seated, stay off your breaks, don't death grip your handlebars). I actually was loving this section - until you turn a corner and realize not only are you riding on gravel, your CLIMBING up gravel. Climbing steeply. I was all alone [Well, there was also a guy playing the banjo], doing well, focusing on spinning and keeping weight on my back wheel, when I fishtailed and almost went down. I was luckily able to unclip in time to avoid going down, but I lost all momentum and found myself standing next to my bike in the middle of a 6 %+ grade. My only choice was to walk until it flattened out enough to clip back in. I was a little bummed, but honestly, walking was just as fast as biking at about 4mph, and I did not stop bc I wanted to. I got back on and finished the climb on my bike when I knew I could get the momentum to clip back in. The only picture I took all day on the route was after this section, to memorialize the epic-ness (yes, it's worth of this term) of what we were going through.
 |
| Blue Lick Road. This is pretty much what the sky looked like all day. PERFECT |
We took a bit of extra time at the next stop, loaded back up, and prepared for the long steady climb out of Westernport. We were told the next sections weren't as steep as what we had been going up, but long and grueling, similar to Skyline. Mindy and I both decided it was MUCH steeper than Skyline, but still not so steep we couldn't spin. As we merrily climbed along, chatting away and taking in the stunning beauty of the course, we started to get excited to pass the 100 mile mark. And it just wouldn't come. It was then we did some math and realized it had taken us AN HOUR to climb the last 4.5 mile. Yes - we were riding a whopping 4.5 mph. And loving every second of it.
At this point, we also made the very (not) smart decision to skip aid station #5. We figured there was only 10 miles between stops 5 and 6, a maximum of 90 minutes right? and it was getting harder and harder to get going again after each stop. What we failed to realize was that it was pretty much a steady long climbing 10 miles between stations and we had NOT been averaging 10mph in the last few hours. Oops. We passed 112, did a little cheer, and started to REALLY need the next aid station. It was a bit further on our bike computers than what was on the cue sheet, but we ended up making it, but we were both PARCHED and HUNGRY when we arrived at aid station 6.
With ~14 miles left, we pushed off in a little group of 4. The last section included nice roads next to Deep Creek and all led up to the last timed, 1 mile climb of 600 feet to the finish line. Mindy and I were pleasantly surprised that our legs actually still felt A-OK. I was mentally exhausted and hungry - after the 10th or 11th Hammer Gel I was just done and had been dreaming of pizza for hours [we passed Ledos 2 miles from the finish. So cruel]. We hit the final climb, crossed the finish line, got our salty french fries, and just like that, the day was over. Just over 10 hours of riding time, 12 hours since we left.
 |
| I took this picture at 6:30am and finally got my fries at 7pm |
As we chatted at the finish, the son of a friend we met out on the course told Mindy and that we had "WAY too much energy left after riding that long" and he was right. We were on top of the world. So happy and (
this sounds weird to write about yourself BUT I'm just being honest) we were SO SO proud and impressed with ourselves. We went into the day pretty nervous and a little worried about making the cut offs and being forced into the sag van, but we finished with time to spare, on our own accord, and finished STRONG. The point of this day was to gain confidence for the Ironman bike. And that mission was accomplished. But the day ended up being about so much more. It's strange, I almost feel like I'm writing this epic race report of an amazing PR. But I know it was just a day, just a ride, just 12 hours spent with a really good friend. But it was also so much more. It was just the best.
 |
| 1 hour recovery swim on Sunday was just what the doctor ordered. |
