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It’s a bone-numbing thirty-something degrees (with wind chill) and drizzly. I’m on my bike;
my nose is running; my teeth are chattering; my knee feels like someone twisted it with a
pair of pliers; and I’m somewhere just west of the middle of nowhere. I remind myself that
not only did I voluntarily take on this experience, but I actually paid good money for
it.
How I Was Duped
It all started with my friend Kenyatta who was training for the 1998 California AIDS Ride,
a week-long event from San Francisco to Los Angeles. She was doing lots of organized rides,
many sponsored by local bike clubs. One day after a Spinning class at the gym, Kenyatta
asked if I’d like to ride the Cinderella Classic, one of the first organized rides of the
season. An all-woman event sponsored by a men’s bike club, the Cinderella Classic is a
metric century (100 kilometers, or 62.5 miles), a fact not immediately disclosed to me. I
don’t know if it was the post-Spin endorphin rush or lack of electrolytes, but I said
“Yes.”
The day before the ride, I took my bike in to tune it up and to buy some warm clothes. Poor
planning on my part. I know now that it is nearly impossible to get a last minute tune-up
on a Friday. But I begged and pleaded, and the bike shop agreed to do the work.
Not Quite in Gear
The next morning I showed up at the starting point. Boy, did I feel inadequate. Everyone,
and I mean everyone, was wearing a fluorescent orange or green windbreaker. There I
was with my little $10 clear-plastic rain slicker that turned out to make me more wet than
I would have been without it (because it did not breathe, and I was sopping in my own
sweat).
Also, almost everyone had bike shorts with leg warmers and bike shoes. I was wearing
running-style tights (thin ones, with no protective chamois in the seat) and my well-worn
cross-trainers. In addition, almost everyone had these strange contraptions called clipless
pedals attached to high-tech-looking road bikes or doctored-up mountain bikes with slick
tires and handlebar extensions. I, on the other hand, had a mountain bike with fat,
slow-rolling knobby tires and fat pedals that didn’t even have toe clips. I felt totally
uncool!
Food and Friends
But the wonderful thing about the Cinderella Classic is its great spirit. The ride is so
named because the guys treat the women like princesses: providing yummy food, free backrubs,
and surprising treats along the way. Some people actually dress up like princesses. Some
wear tiaras on their helmets; others are in pink tutus. Everyone’s smiling, happy, and
relaxed.
You feel right away that this is a non-competitive ride and people are there to support
one another, make friends, and most of all, have a good time. The Cinderella Classic is
also known for its awesome food: delicious treats like M&Ms and a full lunch with a huge
variety of food.
The Pursuit of the Lemon Drop Man
The ride began. At first, I felt great. I was zipping along super-fast and passing people:
mile 5, mile 10, no problem. I was riding like I was in a Spin class. Only one problem:
This was not a 45-minute Spin class; it was a 63-mile ride. Mile 33 rolled around, and I
bonked. Lack of adequate hydration and riding in too high a gear took their
toll.
After the second rest stop, we began ascending a long, steep, three-mile climb—accompanied
by bitter cold, freezing crosswinds and driving rain. My teeth were chattering, my fingers
were blue, and there were these obnoxious signs all the way up the hill telling us the
Lemon Drop Man would be at the top. The signs said “Smile” and “You’re almost there” and
“He’s your Prince Charming.” All I could think was, “He better know CPR!”
I was dying. But I finally reached the top and, sure enough, there was the Lemon Drop
Man—some guy handing out, yes, lemon drops. That’s it? That’s what all the hoopla was
about? Evidently I was not alone in my disappointment. Others were pelting the Lemon Drop
Man with his own lemon drops—and some of those women could throw!
At Mile 45, my knee gave out. It just decided to take the rest of the day off. When I got
off my bike at the rest stop, I could barely walk. Not a good sign. I went to medical
support. The doctor told me I probably had some sort of lactic acid thing going on, that I
would be in pain, but that it would go away—eventually.
The Final Leg
The remainder of the ride was nothing but a painful blur. Kenyatta stayed with me
throughout, rooting me on. But I could pedal with only one foot. My left leg was useless;
I couldn’t even move it. Believe me, I would have had a support vehicle pick me up if one
had passed. But it was getting so late. We were almost the last riders—and the support
vehicles had stopped patrolling. When we hit the suburbs, I even considering hitching a
ride with an SUV. But something—perhaps my silly pride—propelled me onward. Ouch, ouch,
ouch!
Finally we reached the finish line. So I was almost in last place. I finished. So what if
I couldn’t walk. I did it! I joined the others in the big cafeteria where hot soup and
tons of goodies were being served. It was a great feeling. Hundreds of women were sitting
around, chatting, exchanging phone numbers, and planning their next ride, while our princes
served us ice cream and gave us backrubs. There was a great spirit, and I felt like I had
truly accomplished something. Okay, so I had to hop on one leg back to my car and ended up
sleeping for 14 straight hours, but I did it. And I’ll do it
again.
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Finding an Organized Ride in your Area |
Organized bike rides are a great way to get started doing distance riding. You get
the camaraderie, vehicular support, and often some awesome food. Many of these
rides are for charitable causes, so you also get the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes
from knowing you’ve done good for others. Some ways to find rides in your area:
- Visit your local bike shop. They can usually tell you about rides. And
there will probably be fliers in the store announcing upcoming events. Also, keep
an eye out for regional participatory-sports magazines, often distributed at bike
shops and running stores, which contain event listings.
- Call local bike clubs. Many organized rides are sponsored by bike clubs.
Get contact info from your bike shop and call a club in your area to find out
about the ride calendar.
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