On May 15, 2010 I took part in Richardson’s WildRide to benefit Cancer research. The forecast was bleak; thunderstorms were expected by late morning. The sky was cloud covered. It looked like it could down pour at any moment and I was nervous. Last year I rode this ride in constant rain and it was miserable. I did not want to do that again but I took my chances and headed out.

I met up with my neighbor Eric riding his new Specialized Tarmac (nice bike!). We headed out on the first leg riding together more or less. The pace was brisk to start with, about 18 mph. The first leg was a good chance to meet other riders like the guy who was wearing a full backpack because he needed to go to work after the event and the couple on the mountain bike tandem who were riding off-road at Tyler next weekend.

After the rest stop we headed on to the next leg winding through Wylie, Nevada, and Josephine. This is hilly east Dallas territory. At the 50 mile bailout Eric veered off and I kept going..feeling pretty good at this point. In Josephine there are some steep hills. Last year I struggled there but this year my hill training paid off and I was able to climb them at a good pace. By the time I got to the rest stop at about the 40 mile mark my legs felt pretty good but my ace was feeling it. I had not been on the bike for that long a period of time in a while.

I was on the home stretch. A group of riders left the rest stop together and we played cat and mouse a bit over the last leg. I was actually able to pass some riders on the hill which I historically do not do very well at. I cruised in to the finish line at about 64 miles which is the farthest to date for me this year. I averaged 16.7 mph; this is about 0.5 mph better than I did last year so I am pleased with my progression.

Since we last spoke…

A lot has happened since we last spoke. Our household has been blessed with a new baby girl, Lexi Payton. Her lil’ smile has a way of brightening up the whole house. At the ride last year Lexi was still in Mommy's tummy.

Work has changed too. I moved into a new role just after the ride. I am now managing the Applications group of High Speed Data Converters at Texas Instruments. I am quite fortunate to work with a great team in a dynamic group.

I felt well prepared for the ride last year but was humbled by my personal performance. Perhaps it was the rain…perhaps it was the mountains…perhaps it was that I was suffering with Pertussis (Whooping Cough) that took about six months to fully recover from.

With all that going on I had not been on the bike since the ride. I got back on the saddle on New Year’s Day. I figured I could start off more or less where I finished off. Wrong! I had lost a lot in the four months of inactivity.

In the latter part of February I got serious again about training. With the baby and more stuff going on at work it is difficult to find the time, but I am trying to ride at least twice a week. This year’s location will have some serious climbs which will be quite a challenge for me. More training challenges lie ahead.

I Want to Help!

Several people have found their way to this blog and expressed interest in helping out. That’s great! Donating is easy. You can go to my personal JDRF web page and donate online: http://ride.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=rideCentral.personalpage&riderID=9804.

Alternatively, you can send in a check to me made out to JDRF. Email me at rhoppenstein@att.net if you need my address. Heck, you can even email just to say “Hi”.

Perhaps you are unsure about this particular charity. I mean there are so many good causes out there it is hard to know which ones to support. JDRF is one of the top rated charities because almost all of the donated funds go to the cause and not to the administration. Don’t take my word for it…check out http://www.charitynavigator.org/ to see how your charities stack up.

The Century Ride

The morning was cold and wet. Rain had started falling earlier in the night and it was not predicted to let up. Our start was delayed 1 hour which gave time to put on two jerseys, arm warmers, leg warmers, plastic bags over the socks, gloves and a rain jacket. Despite rain or cold I was determined to complete the century ride no matter what.

The course was challenging and the wet streets did not make it any easier. Weather conditions deterred about 100 riders from riding altogether. We started on the top of a mountain at the Killington Lodge. The first 10 miles was straight down. On dry streets you could do 35 to 40 mph without trying, but on wet pavement I had to ride the brake to keep speeds at 20 to 25 mph.

The mid part of the course was rolling hills surrounded by tall leafy trees on either side of road. It was beautiful country. I passed farmhouses, green meadows, covered bridges, and small, quaint New England towns. As I reached the rest stop at the 40 mile I had a decision: press on around the loop or turn around there and head back. I pressed on. Soon I realized why many decided to turn back. I faced a series of challenging climbs. As you approach the crest you think that you are about to make it the top only to find out there is another equally steep climb ahead. There were a series of 4 such climbs. After the last crest it was nearly straight down to complete the loop back to the 60 mile rest stop (which is the same as the 40 mile one.)

Over halfway done. Cold and wet had seeped in now. I moved forward at a steady space and tackled one additional lengthy climb. I was traversing the course in reverse now and recognized many of the landmarks. Moving at a slower pace (since it was now mostly up-hill) I was able to soak in the sights and savor the experience. Cheering spectators ringing cow bells passed periodically in shoe-polished cars to give the riders an emotional lift. At the 90 mile rest stop I welcomed the hot cider...it hit the spot.

Only 10 miles to go...but the toughest 10. Remember the mountain I rode down at the start of the ride? Well, now I had to go up it...and it was steep. Chugging along in my lowest gear I realized that I could not stop or coast for I would never be able to get going again on the incline. So I churned away. In the distance I heard some cheers and saw the finish line banner. As the cheers of encouragement grew louder I spun just a little faster to get across the finish line. When I passed Stacey was there to hug and kiss me with tears of happiness streaming down her cheek. I received my medal and exchanged my aluminum steed for a cup of hot soup and a cold beer.

The ride was a great experience and the entire weekend was well organized and inspirational. I was very satisfied with my preparation and performance but I realized that even before I completed one petal stroke I was successful. Because of my supporters' generosity I was able to raise over $9000 for Diabetes research that I believe will ultimately benefit Lance. Killington riders as a whole raised $1.4 million for JDRF. Wow! Thanks again for your support.

Next year in Sonoma!

Training Log

Cummaltive Miles: 1730

Here is a my training log updated on 8-18-09. Double click the picture to make it bigger and readable.

Protege

Lance loves to ride on the back of Daddy's mountain bike. Every time I say that I am going to go riding he wants to come along too. But now Lance is getting too big to fit into the bike child carrier (and too heavy for Dad to pedal him). We are transitioning to Lance riding his own bike.

It is slow-going at first needing lots of encouragement and pushes. Plus it seems that it is fun to steer off the sidewalk into the grass. We are working our way to riding all the way to the park ourselves. Seth is riding too and he is getting better each time. I am very proud of my young proteges.

WildRide 64-mile Bike Rally

Do you remember Saturday May 16, 2009 when it was constantly raining and generally dreary all day long? Well, that's when I put in my 64-mile ride as part of Richardson WildRide Bike rally. A couple of my colleagues bailed out due to the weather and several more people in the parking lot before the event reconsidered their involvement at the last minute due to the rain. I estimate less than 500 riders ended up participating in the event that expected over 2000.

Despite the weather, the event was well organized and well planned out. There were police officers or firemen at all the major intersections to stop traffic so that the riders did not have to stop. The route was relatively straight and did not have many jogs, which was much appreciated on the slick streets. And there was plenty of snacks and drinks at the rest stops due to the decreased number of riders.

I broke my ride into three sections with a rest stop at each 20 mile junction. The first 20 mile leg (19 mile actually) was smooth sailing. There was a distinct pack that I tried to stay in the middle of. The pace was brisk...averaging a little under 18 mph for this leg.

After the rest stop I tried to mingle in with a small pack leaving about the same time as me. They quickly out-paced me and I found myself alone navigating through the hilly city of Josephine which is east of Lake Lavon. It was eerie traveling alone on these back roads with no other cars or bikes around and only a scattering of farm houses in the distance. At times I wondered if I may have taken a wrong turn and gotten off course. The hills of this section fatigued me and I welcomed the rest stop after the middle 25 mile leg.

I took a fairly long rest here and drank plenty of water, ate my Cliff bar and other provided snacks, and tried to rest my legs. I departed for the last 20 mile leg. I began pacing with another rider which was good to have someone to talk to. He would distance from me on the flats but I would catch up to him on the hills. At the interim rest stop he veered off and I kept going…just 10 more miles to go.

By then I was riding in familiar territory around my house and my tension eased a bit. The last part of the course was relatively flat but it felt like lead weights were strapped to my ankles. It could have been the extra couple of pounds of water weight soaked into my socks and shoes that were to blame. I made the turn past the finish line. There was no white ribbon to cross and no cheering crowds but I felt good at my accomplishment. I averaged 16.1 mph in some pretty adverse conditions…(queue Rocky theme)…getting stronger…