What can be said about these Audax 200K rides? They
are long? Yes they are. They are demanding. Uh… Well, yes. Obviously there is some kind of reward
to be had from them. People come
back and repeat participation, some year after year.
Another thing could be said. It takes a leap of faith to do this ride for the first
time. Nobody really knows what to expect from a ride like
this, not until they have done
it. For seasoned veterans of this
kind of riding, these rides are still a challenge. But the practiced endurance rider at least knows what to expect. For a first timer, these things are, to
some extent, a voyage into the unknown.
It takes courage to make the attempt.
We were blessed with spectacular weather. The day dawned a bit on the cool side,
and warmed slowly. (I was in
arm-warmers for the first 50 miles.)
It warmed nicely as the day progressed, but temps never got up into the unpleasantly
hot range. The skies were blue,
with wisps of clouds. We were
graced with breezes to cool us during the hottest part of the day. And even the evening thunderstorm was
kind enough to wait until we had finished riding. Perfect!
Present at the beginning were Jan Oden, Deborah Tyler, Amy
Hill, Dan Christensen, Scott Rutkowski, Ken Finlon, and your humble
correspondent. Each and every
rider acquitted themselves in fine style.
Six of the seven rode the complete route. Amy was feeling a bit of time pressure late in the day, and
withdrew, in good order to scurry home.
I might add, she was riding strongly, and left us to complete her day
with about 105 miles. She did the
last 25 of her day in just a touch over an hour. Good job Amy!
The Olympic Moto is Citius,
Altius, Fortius. The Latin
translates to “Faster, Higher, Stronger.”
Many cyclists, and other endurance athletes keep track of “personal
best” performances. It is
gratifying to report that three of our riders managed to achieve new personal records
in three categories each. Ken,
Jan, and Deborah all climbed higher, rode farther, and hit greater speeds than
they had ever done before. Bravo!
Lunch was incredible, and deeply appreciated. The afternoon was simply a good long
ride, with building fatigue, but plenty of rewards too. I’m happy to report that the more
experience riders among us chose to ride in support of the newer folk. This adds greatly to the spirit of the
day. In short, a good time was had
by all.
“Official”
stats: 124.3 miles in 9:27. (Taken from my GPS device.) The distance is just a little short of
the target 125, but is exactly equal
to 200 kilometers.
Bon route et Bon
Chance!
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