On May 21 I rode the WildRide 2011. The ride starts in Richardson. There is a 20 mile jaunt to the Lake Lavon Dam, then another 24 miles through the twisty and hilly back roads of Josephine, and then a return across the dam back to the start. The route is 64 miles. I gather at the start with about 2500 other cyclists. At my side is my buddy Ken. The sky is a blanket of clouds and the air is thick with humidity. I secretly hope that the rain will not fall today.
After the anthem the cyclists are off. The first 20 mile leg is the most entertaining. There are so many people to look at: some with crazy helmets, some with crazy recumbent bikes, and some with top-notch racing gear. The pace is fast and you are constantly maneuvering for position by passing slower riders and picking up a draft from the faster riders. There was a patch of gravel road that most were dismounting to cross. I just rode over it to get past a slower pack and caught a group of four that pulled me into the first rest stop. Up to this point I was flying, averaging 18.7 mph for the first 20 miles.
After the break my buddy Ken turned around to complete a 40 mile loop but I pressed on. The second leg wound through the back roads of Wylie, Nevada, and Josephine on the far side of Lake Lavon. The area is serene and beautiful. Unfortunately, here is also where the drizzle started to fall and I had flashbacks to WildRide 2009 where I rode the whole way in the rain. By
the time I got to the big hills the drizzle had stopped and my glasses had cleared. I attacked the hills to the best of my ability by sprinting on the downhill part to give my as much momentum on the uphill part. By the third crescendo it became hard to power sufficiently down to sustain a descent cadence on the way up. By the fourth hill I find myself in my lowest gear grinding away to the crest. At last I turn toward the lake and stroll into the second rest stop (which is the same location as the first). My average dropped to 17.4 mph by this stage.
The last leg is the most difficult. First because it is the last and your legs are beginning to tire. Second because this last leg was primarily heading south which was right in the face of a stiff 15 mph wind. Everyone was struggling to keep a descent pace. You struggle against the wind and think you are doing a descent job until you look down at your GPS and see that you are only going 13 mph. I can do better than that you think so you shift up and pick up the pace a bit, but before long you have eased back to something slower. By the 64 mile mark I was pretty tired and ready to dismount.
By the end I had my average at 16.1 mph. This was not the farthest that I have rode to date this season, but it was the hardest due to the hills and because I did it mostly on my own without a group to draft behind. I am just a little nervous though…could I have done another 40 miles?
After the anthem the cyclists are off. The first 20 mile leg is the most entertaining. There are so many people to look at: some with crazy helmets, some with crazy recumbent bikes, and some with top-notch racing gear. The pace is fast and you are constantly maneuvering for position by passing slower riders and picking up a draft from the faster riders. There was a patch of gravel road that most were dismounting to cross. I just rode over it to get past a slower pack and caught a group of four that pulled me into the first rest stop. Up to this point I was flying, averaging 18.7 mph for the first 20 miles.After the break my buddy Ken turned around to complete a 40 mile loop but I pressed on. The second leg wound through the back roads of Wylie, Nevada, and Josephine on the far side of Lake Lavon. The area is serene and beautiful. Unfortunately, here is also where the drizzle started to fall and I had flashbacks to WildRide 2009 where I rode the whole way in the rain. By
the time I got to the big hills the drizzle had stopped and my glasses had cleared. I attacked the hills to the best of my ability by sprinting on the downhill part to give my as much momentum on the uphill part. By the third crescendo it became hard to power sufficiently down to sustain a descent cadence on the way up. By the fourth hill I find myself in my lowest gear grinding away to the crest. At last I turn toward the lake and stroll into the second rest stop (which is the same location as the first). My average dropped to 17.4 mph by this stage.The last leg is the most difficult. First because it is the last and your legs are beginning to tire. Second because this last leg was primarily heading south which was right in the face of a stiff 15 mph wind. Everyone was struggling to keep a descent pace. You struggle against the wind and think you are doing a descent job until you look down at your GPS and see that you are only going 13 mph. I can do better than that you think so you shift up and pick up the pace a bit, but before long you have eased back to something slower. By the 64 mile mark I was pretty tired and ready to dismount.
By the end I had my average at 16.1 mph. This was not the farthest that I have rode to date this season, but it was the hardest due to the hills and because I did it mostly on my own without a group to draft behind. I am just a little nervous though…could I have done another 40 miles?
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