MS “Coast The Coast” Ride, 5/16/09 Report (Part 1)
My spring biking season unofficially came to an end yesterday with the 85-mile Coast The Coast ride, a benefit for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. It was my first charity ride, and only my second-ever massive group ride. 1500 riders were expected though with 25-mile and 50-mile options, the number of people joining me on the full trek from Monmouth University in West Long Branch to Pinelands High School in Little Egg Harbor was substantially smaller. There was also an option to stay in Pinelands overnight and ride again on Sunday from to Cape May, but 85 miles on Saturday seemed like a sufficient workout.
The first order was raising the money, and really, I couldn’t ask for more support from family and friends and co-workers. I joined Team Madbear, which was headed up by my co-worker Al — he’s done this ride for 17 years — and after just a couple of appeals we surpassed our fundraising goal. So if you donated, thanks so much! I’m not one to ask people for money, but it took the day from “I’m riding” to “You’re paying me to ride” so I had a new goal, which was not letting down my very generous benefactors.
Second issue was training — and there, the NYCC proved to be a lifesaver. The progressive SIG weekend series from March through last week got me used to my new road bike very well, and I knew not only that I could ride 85 miles, but that I had to respect the distance. Don’t go out to hard, just pace myself, eat and drink constantly, and I’d be fine. Last week’s final ride finished at 72.5 miles, and I felt great after that.
So by Friday evening, I was ready. The bike barely fit into the back of the Mini but I packed up all my stuff and headed down to Michele’s in Freehold, since they were putting me up for the night. We went to a local Italian restaurant for dinner, Mom & Rich visited for tea afterwards, and I was in bed by 10:30 pm. The next morning I was awake before the alarm but I cleaned myself up, dressed in my silliest spandex outfit, and drove over to Monmouth. Met up with Al and his friend Dave, picked up my stuff, and we were out with the first wave of riders shortly after 8 am.
My only stated goal was to make it to Pinelands by 4 pm. 4 pm was the time of the first bus back to Monmouth, and I had foolishly double-booked the day by buying tickets to a concert as part of Missy’s Christmas present. She said that it was no big deal if I didn’t make it back, but I was determined. I wanted to show that I could be athletic and cultured in the same day. The typical type A personality would understand: I could have it all.
The route was due south, and the first 30 miles would normally be described as “scenic” — pre-tourist-season open shore roads, ocean and bay views, and gentle breezes. However, instead of a great view, we encountered a lot of dense fog, to the point that even on roads right along the water, we couldn’t see the ocean. The biggest problem I encountered for the first two hours was condensation on my sunglasses. But generally, overcast and cool is good for biking, or at least better than sunny and hot. The crowd was friendly, the road was flat, and I was flying for long stretches, averaging over 20 mph through the long, straight, flat, empty roads in Bay Head, Mantoloking, and Lavallette. We ended up in a very predictable pattern where the three members of Team Madbear would ride together, I’d take the lead for a bit, look back, and find out that the other guys were nowhere to be seen. I’d then get to the next rest stop (typically about 10 miles apart), eat, drink, and wait for them to catch up. Even what was described as the most difficult part of the course, the Seaside Heights bridge, was a breeze. I was trained! I was in shape! I was — I am - a real cyclist! Sure, the truly great riders were in Pinelands by noon and everyone around me seemed to look exactly like me (that is, middle-aged with a slight gut), which tells you who the core demographic for this sport really is, but no matter for someone who hadn’t done as much as climb a flight of stairs two years prior. Mom & Rich met me at the Cedar Creek School at Lankoa Harbor where we had lunch waiting, and at that point I felt tremendous, like the rest of this trip was going to be as easy as the morning. It was 12:30 pm, 55 miles down, 30 to go.
Part 2 to be found here: the plot thickens!…
2 years ago