WE MADE IT!!!

Paula and I have been training for the Little Red Riding Hood women-only ride for months, and this last Saturday, we completed the 63-mile ride. Believe me, no one is more impressed with this accomplishment than Paula and I! Who knew we had it in us?!! We rode 63 miles on a bike! We survived and we loved it!

We're going again next year, only next time we're doing 100 miles. So, all you ladies out there who are interested in riding with us, a girls night out is included the night before since we'll go up and stay over night in Logan. They have courses starting at 15 miles and they go up to 100. It was absolutely beautiful up there. We rode all over Cache County, and it was so green and pretty. It was a great course for a first big ride. There were 2600 women riding, but the start times were staggered throughout the morning so it didn't get too congested. Some flat, some hills. You can do it ladies!

I got a mountain bike for my birthday last year and started riding in the mountains near our house with my friend Heather a few times a week. In the fall, Heather, Paula, and I started going to spinning at the gym. Several months ago, a good friend of ours (thanks Bishop!) offered to fix up his two old road bikes for Paula and I to use. We took him up on the offer and have been riding them ever since. We finally made the jump to super-stylin cycling wear a couple months ago and have had quite a few falls (me more than her by at least double) trying to get used to clipped-in shoes. We mostly ride around here on the roads and trails, but had only gone long distances (over 30 miles) a few times, so 63 miles was quite the jump.


The Little Red raises money for women's cancer research, so it felt good to be riding for that cause. You can't see it, but above where we were standing at the finish line with the Big Bad Wolf, there was a huge banner that read "Victory Over Cancer." Very cool.

Paula and I both agreed that we were doing pretty well up until about 48 miles or so. Those last 15 miles were tough. Surprisingly it wasn't our legs or even our butts that were sore. It was my neck and shoulder and Paula's hands and back. Not what you'd think after sitting on that little seat and peddling for over four hours. Also, it was hard to ride without my Ipod (they are apparently not allowed on big rides due to safety concerns). I never realized the impact of music on my ride before. I knew it kept me from getting bored, but I may have overlooked the sheer motivational factor of Pink and Nickelback. It was probably better that I just pay attention to the people riding around me, not to mention the cars, and concentrate on ... you guessed it, not falling.

We had this long straightaway to ride before we rounded the corner and headed South for our last 8 miles or so, and as we rounded the corner, we saw that a pretty steep hill was just ahead. We both just started laughing, I guess to keep from crying, but honestly my eyes were watering a little. It just seemed impossible. We saw several women walking their bikes up the hill on the side and that didn't help either. We made do with a little pep talk and off we went. There might have been a little yelling, but we made it up there on the bikes ... no walking.


The picture above was taken at our last stop at 57 miles (there were stops every 10 miles or so for water, fruit, bike maintenance, and of course bathrooms which was really nice). Honestly, we were just trying to prolong getting back on the bikes, so we took time to pose for a picture. Still smiling though.

Can you tell which picture was taken before the ride ...



and which one was taken after 35 miles? I love the look on Paula's face. Good thing I had sunglasses on. And what is up with that anyway?!! Have I EVER remembered to take them off before a picture?

Anyway, we had a great time. It was a great ride and great to ride with Paula. Her strength is always a great example to me and it was no different on the ride. The weather was cloudy and cool which was nice. We had some serious wind for a lot of the ride which was tough, but we survived. I had a few issues with my chain falling off and my front brake rubbing on the tire (for 8 MILES!!!), but we survived. It was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to next year. So, if anyone else wants to come with us, get riding now, and plan on June of next year.

The picture below was at the finish line ... do we look happy? Relieved? You should have seen the hat hair under those helmets after all those hours ... scary.

This picture below is upside down, but it is my heart rate monitor. I know "calories burned" is not an exact science, but just humor me here .... I turned it off a while after the ride, but it says 3435 calories burned. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!

Below is a self-shot WHILE riding my bike. Pretty impressive if I do say so myself.

I love this one below. She really is smiling ... I promise. She was admiring my picture taking skills I'm sure. Keep in mind that I was moving at this time. Very impressive I'm sure you'll agree. Just so you know, neither Paula or I fell over the entire 63-mile course. Quite a feat I'm sure you'll agree.

The picture below is for Sharon and Kelly ...