2018 Ride for Angels: And that is how we do that

The 2018 Ride for Angels: And that is how we do that.

I've been using the charity ride "The Ride for Angels" as a final tune up ride for the Harbor to the Bay Ride for a few years now.  It's usually the weekend before the H2B.  The support is very good and the route is superlative.  It benefits Angel Flight New England, the people who fly patients around the country for medical treatment.

Riders forming up for the start

This year I finally had it in my legs to do the 100 mile route AND the discipline to make it happen.  Yes, another 5 AM wake up!  Everything really came together for this ride.  I carbo loaded the night before with some excellent gnocci at Bottega di Capri in Brookline Village.  I got the bike up on the roof of the car the night before and packed a bag with post ride clothing and any accessories I might need.  Stupidly, I did not do this via my checklist, so I forgot a couple items.  Nothing critical, but it underscored the need to use a checklist to outsource thinking.

After a 45 minute drive to North Andover, I pulled into the little airfield that serves as the start/finish for the ride.  The woman in the car next to me saw my H2B jersey -- she had done the H2B in the past!  It was cold out and everyone was kind of complaining and a little unhappy.  There was a bunch of debate about how much to wear and when would it warm up.  

The route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27399329 

I saw a number of people from other rides I had done.  Patty and Pranja from Team Kermit who I had met at last year's Ride for Angels.  They were out to do the 40 mile route or maybe the 68 if they felt good.  Jen from Blazing Saddles was there with a bunch of people from the North Shore Cyclists.  Later on en route I talked to more people I knew from the Kermits, including Geoffrey who I had met earlier in the summer on the Tour de Shuls.  

Queuing up for wrist bands, etc.

Suddenly, it felt like the late 90's -- a period when I would go to as many organized centuries as possible and at every one of them you'd see people you knew.  It was a good feeling.  The woman who parked next to me came up as we were waiting to start.  We talked about which route were we each doing (both of us were doing the 100) and what pace we might be setting.  Her name was Jane and seemed like a good idea to stick together, so we thought we'd give it a shot.  This turned out really well.  We rode together the entire way.

For the first 20 or 30 miles I was in a big pack being pulled along by the Kermits.  It was great fun and I was psyched to be able to stand the pace and not get spit off the back on the small climbs.  At one point we lost a group that was in front when they missed a turn.

Jane and I in the center. We leapfrogged the guy on the left all day.

Speaking of missing a turn, I was riding along talking to Steven from the Kermits about doing the 100 when someone pointed out that I had missed the turn where the 100 split from the 68!  Jane made the command decision that the two of us should turn around and find the split.  I was pretty doubtful -- I though that it had been 5 - 10 miles and I was not looking to tack on that many bonus miles.  In the event it was about a 1.5 miles.  

As we were doubling back we saw a cyclist make a turn we hadn't made.  I yelled and asked if he was on the 100 mile route.  "YES!"  We turned and I felt a lot better.  We passed him and I wondered to myself how the heck I was passing him.  He was very fit -- a lot fitter than me for sure.  Jane talked to him a bit -- I guess she noticed something odd about his cadence & gearing.  It was his first century ride!  


Around this stretch we picked up another rider -- Ray.  Ray was riding a brand new bike, a replacement for his decades old steel bike.  He was quite a solid rider, but having a very tough day.  His beloved dog had passed away earlier in the week.  Losing a companion of 13 years isn't easy.  My heart went out to him.  I think he hadn't been eating or sleeping well, but was still game to see how he would do for 100 miles.

We reached the first pit stop and I took the opportunity to eat a lot.  It was 27 miles into the ride and so far all I'd had was half of a banana.  I remember eating handfuls of peanuts and trying "RX Nut butter".  The nut butter was seriously good.  This year I've been trying to mix in more protein and displace some carbs and my cravings have reflected that.  It didn't stop me from slamming a whole bottle of Gatorade.  Mike rolled in while we were there.  It turned out he was in training for the Marine Corps Marathon.  Looking at the cue sheet, I've forgotten about a water stop earlier in the ride!  It's like that movie, Rashomon (that's not how I remember it!).

I REALLY liked this nut butter

It's an eating contest with some cycling thrown in.

The four of us left the pit together.  Ray had some great stories about bicycling in Spain and some neverending climbs.  It was still early and we were all waiting for that morning chill to go away.  At some point we decided it had warmed up a bit and pulled over to doff some of our gear.  Mike leaned his bike against a tree and a bunch of bees came flying out.  I said "hey did you find the hive or what?".  A few minutes later when Mike tried to grab his bike several bees attacked him!  One flew into his helmet!  It was whacky.  Jane and Ray checked him out and Mike was OK, so we continued on.

As we rolled on through more beautiful and quiet roads we dropped Mike a couple more times.  He was having a tough day including some cramping I think.  By the time we were nearing the second stop I think Jane and I started dropping Ray too.  At each of the stops through the day I applied a takeaway from the Blazing Saddles ride: I'd grab food and drink and then sit down to enjoy them.  Embracing the bike racer's credo made a difference:

Don't stand when you can sit.
Don't sit when you lie down.
Preferably with your legs elevated.

Mike and Ray caught up to us in the pit.  Mike got some help from the medical volunteers with his cramping muscles.

Getting the Tin Man treatment in the merry old land of Oz

Seems like the riders get younger every year.

Ray extolling the virtues of his new rig.

We all rolled out together again.  Over this stretch we gradually dropped Mike and then Ray again.  Jane and I were really enjoying the amazing views and quiet roads.  Earlier in the day it was so quiet that we didn't even get harassed in New Hampshire by any drivers!  There were farms, stone fences, green fields, and then a low lying road by a salt marsh which was partially flooded by the high tide.  Just one lovely view after another.

Jane and me hammering along

We had rejoined the route shared with the people doing the 68 and 40 mile options and were passing a lot of them.  When we got to the next pit I saw my friends Kendra and Susan -- who were also training for the Harbor to the Bay on the 68 mile route.  I also ran into Jen and the NSC crew who were averaging better than 16 mph for the 100.  Kind of amazingly she noted that I was riding a different bike than the one I used for Blazing Saddles!  It was rainy that day, so I took my touring bike, a Specialized Secteur.  Today, I was on my Trek Emonda ALR-5, a racing bike.

Enjoying the view in Ipswitch

The next leg was a nine mile loop out through Ipswitch into Great Neck and back to the same SAG stop.  A gorgeous section of riding that saw us at 85 miles or so when we got back to the pit.  Ray was somewhere behind us at this point and we saw Mike rolling in just as we arrived.  I told him he could skip that nine mile loop and just head back to the finish if he was feeling played out, but he told me he woke up that day to do 100 miles and that was what he was going to do.  :-)

Jane and I continued on, swapping pulls.  The last stretch of a long ride is tough. You just have to avoid thinking anything negative, dig in, and get it done.  We'd had such a great day this wasn't too difficult.  For me, this was a tune up for the real apex of my season, the H2B.  Jane had raised A LOT of money for Angel Flight and it was her big ride for the year.  

We talked about winter cycling and she gave me a really interesting tip I had never heard: use baby powder to keep your feet dry and they won't feel so cold.  I'll give it a shot!  I think she might have been one of the first people I've met who didn't express any shock when I said I rode through the winter!  She keeps riding, including out on the Cape in Ptown!  

Traffic got a little bit heavier and I think some of the drivers weren't quite so kind.  I worked really hard on paying attention.  Well, soon enough we took one last tough left turn and were back at the start/finish.  We exchanged high fives and rode directly to the post ride lunch tables!  I didn't even change.  Thankfully, they still had veggie burgers.  Kendra and Susan were there and we sat with them.  I was very happy to have averaged 15.6 mph over 103 miles.  It was my best time for a century in 13 years!

It was such a great day in the saddle.  Getting to share it with new friends was perfect (Mike and Ray did finish safely, even though I didn't get to see them).  I was really lucky to have met Jane and done the whole ride with her.  Everything just came together for an excellent ride for a great cause.