To everything there is a season

The other day, John was cleaning out his side of the closet. We both realized that between the two of us, we have enough race t-shirts to span the length of our house. We then began to rate our favorites and the ugliest, and let me tell you, there are some pretty darn ugly race t-shirts. One of which is this most recent bright green t-shirt with a goat on a bike that John acquired at "the Goatneck." I especially like when we are headed somewhere and John will say, “I’d better go change into my nice shirt.” I have finally learned not to expect to see him in a button down shirt with a collar, but rather his favorite Waco Wild West race t-shirt. Nice.

Anyway, along with the t-shirts come a flood of memories associated with each ride. Some we’ve done together and others we’ve gone solo, but I am so grateful for each moment I’ve spent riding side by side (or front to back if we’re on the tandem) with my favorite person in the world.
My top seven most memorable rides:

1. Heber Valley Century
What we thought was supposed to be a beautiful, scenic ride through Heber Valley and Park City turned out to be one of the most torturous mountain climbing events. It wasn’t advertised as a mountain climbing event, but that’s exactly what it was- 100 miles of mountain passes. Just when we’d reach the summit of one hill, we’d see the next one shooting up right behind it. We thought it was going to be a relaxing ride, so we actually brought the tandem…big mistake. That thing is great on the flats, but a beast on the uphill. This was the only ride I have ever cried on. Lunch wasn’t until mile 80 (yes, they feed you in the middle of some of these rides), and I was running on fumes- no cliff bars or gu left in my pockets and I was hurting for calories, and not to mention my legs were on fire from all of the hill climbing. Painful. Lovely, but painful.

2. Hotter’N Hell Hundred.
This was a good one- my first century in Texas. With temps reaching well over 100 degrees, they don’t call it Hotter’n Hell for nothing. The “starting line” was amazing with 4 lanes of traffic completely covered in bikes for 12 city blocks. There’s nothing like the sound of 15,000 wheels spinning and all those cleats popping into the pedals after the signal of the cannon and fly by of the jets overhead to announce the starting.
The main goal in this race is to not push it too hard in the heat, but to try to get done before the it gets too hot, oh and not to get dehydrated (that’s a biggie).

I think my favorite part was the rest stop at mile 90. We don’t usually stop at mile 90 simply because we’d rather just push it to the end, but in that kind of heat, you have no choice. At mile 90, the rest stop volunteers are mostly medical staff. Everyone has a stethoscope and if you stand in any one place for too long with a confused look on your face, they WILL approach you and ask if you are okay, and they DO want direct eye contact. The rest tents look more like an army tent with cots everywhere and people hooked up to blood pressure cuffs and IV’s. That many hours in that kind of heat can really mess you up. Everywhere you turn, there is someone shoving water or pickle juice into your hand or filling up your water bottles. It was…different.
The open fire hydrant at the finish was refreshing and did a great job of rinsing off some of the salt that covered our bodies. I was just glad I finished and wasn’t one of the people hooked up to an IV at the end. Sounds weird, but it was awesome, and I’d love to do it again sometime.

3. Alpine Loop
This is definitely the most beautiful and satisfying ride anywhere I’ve ever ridden. My first two attempts to complete the entire loop (starting from our apartment in Provo) ended about ½ way up with drive train problems (oddly enough things fell apart at almost exactly the same spot both times…weird). Old Bessie wasn’t up for the torque. A few minor adjustments and I was good to go. We always enjoyed this ride most at the end of the season when the fall colors come out. Our last time completing it was in October just before we moved away from Utah. (We didn't get any pictures of our rides, but it was so beautiful that we had to snap a few photos of our favorite place the following summer when we were back for a visit)

It was conference weekend, but we figured we had to do it one last time before we moved. The roads were slightly more congested with cars traveling up the mountains to enjoy the fall colors and to listen to conference. I still remember being about ¾ of the way up and having several cars drive by with windows open and cheering us on…I loved it!

The colors and views at the top are AMAZING, and there’s something about experiencing that kind of beauty on a bike…the colors, the sounds, the crisp cool air. The ride down is exhilarating and a little terrifying. It’s always much colder with the cool air moving so quickly over your sweat covered body, so I’m usually shivering at that point. The speeds, winding roads, and traffic all make me a little nervous, but it’s still a thrill speeding down the canyon.

4. Jericho Road
There is no Road called Jericho Road, that’s just what John and I called it (long story). This was where we’d head when we wanted some fast, flat rides out in the country with no traffic. My favorite Jericho Road experience was the time we caught a draft off of a pick up truck pulling a trailer filled with haystacks and pumpkins. It just felt so “autumn-ish.”
I have so many memories of Jericho Road. We’d ride out there all the time…around the lake, West mountain, or just “to the stop sign and back” Good chats, good times, good rides.

5. Lake Placid bike excursion
While living in New York, John had this brilliant idea that we could ride up to Lake Placid and back. Tyler was about 8 months old so we took turns riding and driving. John did 80 miles and I did 40 miles, then we camped that night (with showers…THANK GOODNESS), and did the same mileage home the next day. It was a unique family experience. I think my favorite thing about this ride was stopping after a long pull to find John with cold water and this happy boy waiting with a smile and a kiss.

6. Little Red Riding Hood
This is one of the country's very few "women's only" events located in Cache Valle (one of our very favorite riding places ever). 100 miles with all female riders is a very different ride than any other. The starting line chit chat is much louder and you can hear comments like, "Oh, I really like your socks. They look so cute with your jersey." The first year I went by myself. I didn't know any other female riders and I'd never done an event without John. I was a little nervous, but quickly made a few friends. The second year, I took my spin instructor (who was kind not to leave me in her dust). I had a blast with her and it made it even more fun to see John stationed at one of the rest stops as a volunteer. He did a great job slicing oranges and cheering on the riders- it was fun to have him there supporting me.

7. The Turkey Roll
This was such a blast. It was the first time I had ever ridden with a true gal pal. Jen had just gotten her first bike and she and Shayne were getting ready for this fun little ride the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Originally, I hadn’t planned on doing it, simply because I hadn’t arranged for babysitting for John and I, but the night before the event, John asked me why I wasn’t going with them and I thought, “Yeah, why not?” …because I hadn’t ridden much since completing the Hotter’n Hell two months prior, that’s why not. So I called Jen and asked if I could tag along. It was a fun little ride and I really enjoyed pedaling along with one of my best pals!

7. My Ride
One of my favorite rides was one I did about 2-3 times a week by myself. I’d leave from our apartment in Provo and head up the Provo Canyon, then past West Fork and up to the girl’s scout camp at the top. This was my ride, my time, my passion. Sometimes I would ride and think, sometimes I would ride and look at the scenery, and sometimes I would ride out all of my heartache and frustration- these were the rides when I’d grit my teeth and pound those pedals as hard as I could. I always stopped at the top to visit “my bush” for some quick relief and then sometimes I’d sit and think in the quiet of the mountains. Oh how I miss my mountains! Then I’d race down, crouching over my handle bars to see how aerodynamic I could make my body. These roads were less trafficked, so it was safer to careen down the hills like that. I loved the fee feel of coasting. I loved the cool, crisp air, I loved the solitude, I loved my ride.

And in case you’re wondering how my biking is going these days, well, let’s just say, my bike has been hung up for the year, but like I've always said, "Life is all about times and seasons." This is not a time or season for biking and I think I'm okay with that.

I rode a bit during my first trimester, but the geometry of my bike isn't really great for an expanding tummy- you can only lower the stem and raise the seat post so far. Plus, the risks are too high if I were to take a fall, so the bike has literally been hung up for the year. Sigh.

John has done a few rides without me now and I’m a little jealous when he sets off for his Saturday morning rides, but I can honestly say that I’m not terribly sad that I’m not going to be joining him for the Hotter’n Hell this year. Right now, that sounds absolutely miserable. Have I mentioned that it’s hot? Bother.

Anyway, I’m so glad for healthy hobbies and I’m really looking forward to the day when I can get “back in the saddle again.” I’ve had a lot of good memories on the bike and I can’t wait to create more with my boys! Tyler already talks about the day when he “gets bigger and can go race with daddy.” You can only imagine how excited this makes John.

And just for the record, the ULCER 100 ride in Utah has the best looking t-shirts, so go sign yourself up today so that you can have a “nice shirt” too!