I Think I Can, I Think I Can

Do you remember the children's book "The Little Engine That Could" and the famous line "I think I can, I think I can"?  Well that pretty much sums up my biking experience on Monday morning.  40 miles.  That's a LONG way to ride on a bicycle.  And there were a lot of hills...big hills...

Let me take a step back and explain the circumstances surrounding my decision to ride 40 miles.  Daryl and Biker Colleen are part of a cycling club based in Easton.  This particular club has done a ride in Kent County (where Betterton is located) in the past.  The last time they did it was the 4th of July, I believe.  So they organized a ride on Monday of Labor Day weekend.  Since I was going to be in Betterton, Daryl invited me to join.  I was nervous but excited about the idea of riding 40 miles.

After my brick workout on Saturday, I was very doubtful that I would be able to complete 40 miles.  But it was a ride that started in Chestertown, went through Betterton and ended back in Chestertown.  So if I could only do half (which I knew I could do), I would be right by our house and could get someone to drive me back to Chestertown to pick up the car.

So when I woke up Monday morning, there was no rain.  So off I went to Chestertown with my bike, my helmet, my water bottle and my sports beans.  I pulled into the parking lot and saw the group gathering.  They all looked like very nice people but they all looked like they were serious cyclists.  I got nervous again, but I hopped out of the car, unloaded my bike and pretended like I wasn't shaking in my sneakers.

So we reviewed the route sheets and off we went.  The group stayed mostly together through Chestertown but once we hit the open road, we quickly got separated.  There were 3 other women and 4 men in the group.  Two of the guys were much faster and were well ahead of everyone else most of the way.  I assumed my position in the back of the pack, partly so that I could see what everyone else was doing but mostly because I was going as fast as I could and still couldn't keep up with the pack.  Tom was a very nice guy who hung in the back with me and chatted about his running, biking and hiking experiences.  I was really trying to pay attention to what he was saying but the whole time my mind kept racing thinking about all the things that could go wrong with me and this bicycle.

I believe it was on the first large downhill that I finally decided to just let go and let the ride happen as it was going to.  I didn't put my brakes on at all.  I stopped looking at my speed once it creeped scarily close to 30 miles per hour.  I just enjoyed the wind as I sped down the hill.  What I realized very quickly is that a big downhill normally means one thing...a big uphill.  So my first uphill climb was upon me.  I was still not comfortable with my gears so I just kept it where it was and tried my best to get up the hill with some respectable amount of speed.  It was a pretty small uphill compared to the ones yet to come, but I made it up. 

I was very relieved to see that the group was assembled at the top of the hill for a water break.  Unfortunately the problem with being the little red caboose (a nickname I coined for myself because of my choice to wear a red shirt) is that when you get there, everyone else is rested and ready to go again.  I got one big swig of water before we were off again.

At the 10 mile point, we had made it to Molly's, which is a restaurant/gas station/tractor store/hunter's hangout.  I was surprised at how quickly the 10 miles had gone.  I sent a text to Stephen letting him know where we were so that I would have a cheering section as we entered Betterton.  The stop at Molly's was a long one so I was able to recover from the ride up to that point.

As we rode through Still Pond on our way to Betterton, Daryl pointed ahead and said "what's that guy doing?" I looked up and saw Stephen standing in the middle of the road shooting pictures of us.  I knew right away - "that's Stephen".  The group encouraged me to ride up ahead for my photo op.  Grace was standing in the back of the car cheering, but still wearing her nightgown.  Here is the photo that Stephen shot of the group.

This photo is literally the only time I was anywhere near the front with this group!  Shortly after this we made it to Betterton which was the halfway point, and my decision point.  Do I go on or do I throw in the towel and stop?  Anyone who knows me knows what I decided.

The stopping point was at the public beach, which was very scenic.  But the bad thing was that there are 2 ways out of town from the public beach and both of them are up a big hill.  We debated the merits of each and ultimately the group went with my suggestion - the shorter but steeper option.  Let me tell you that starting from a stop and trying to go up a steep incline is a very difficult thing to do. 

The second half of my ride was a blur of me repeating "I think I can, I think I can" as I go up these seemingly mountainous hills combined with portions of flat road where I try to get my breathing under control and my legs to stop burning.  My feet started to get that tingly feeling when you know they are falling asleep.  My butt hurt from the seat, but then it went numb so it didn't hurt so much anymore unless I hit a bump.  But here's the thing - at the bottom of every hill I would think "I'm not going to make it" and at the top of the hill I would think "wow, I made it".  In the middle I just kept going.

The last 6 miles were pretty rough.  At one point I really just wanted to stop.  But of course my stubborn nature wouldn't allow that!  As we rode into the parking lot after completing 40 miles, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment.  That's a long way to ride and 4 times longer than I'd previously ever ridden.  And I (sort of) kept up with some very seasoned riders.  I am the little engine that could!