Biking for a cause...

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

My friend Bruce called to say that Todd was in town and they were going for a bike ride with some of the guys doing the ride to ‘MS Pedal to the Point’ in August.  Pedal to the Point is a 150-mile, 2-day trip dedicated to raising money to combat multiple sclerosis.  It has been going on for 27 years and is a wonderful way to get into distance cycling while making a difference in someone’s life…likely yours.

“We ride slow and I know you and Todd are pros, but you’re welcome to join us,” he said.

I’m not much of one for riding in groups, even small ones, and I knew they’d be riding busy roads around Willowick, Willoughby and Mentor…not my first choice by any stretch.  Still, Todd was in town and it would give us a chance to discuss Tour Ohio, which was approaching rapidly.  “I’ll be there,” I said.

They’d be riding 15-20 miles on flat terrain so I knew I needed something extra to make it a good workout.  I left my house and headed south towards hills and Old Mill Road.  I figured I could ride 90 minutes in a huge loop and arrive at Bruce’s place in time to join them, then ride hard coming home afterwards.  It was a good plan.  At least I thought it was.

I put in about 30 miles and arrived in his driveway sweating and tired.  Todd looked ready to chew steel.  He was in outstanding cycling shape and could toast me easily.  I could do the same to the other three riders, so they must have been completely intimidated by him.  We headed east at a leisurely pace when I noticed one of the riders, a retired firefighter and wearing a shirt about safety, wasn’t wearing a helmet.

“Where in the hell is your helmet?” I asked.

“I really don’t like them.  People give me shit about it all the time, too,” he said.

“Ever wonder why?” I asked.  I wasn’t letting up.

He continued with some lameness…he knew it was lame…and so I backed off.  It was his funeral, after all, but he looked so strange riding without one.  I suspect it’s a requirement to ride with one in ‘Pedal to the Point’, but if it’s not, it should be.  Later in our ride I proved that point when we came to a stop light and I found myself leaning the wrong way with one foot still clipped in the pedal.  I fell and landed hard on my hip, embarrassed but not injured.  The point?  Anyone can fall anytime and it doesn’t take much of a clunk on hard pavement to severely hurt an unprotected noggin.

It was getting later and we were heading further east…away from Highland Heights…when I realized I was going to have trouble making it home in daylight.  I told the others as much and that I needed to turn around.  Bruce encouraged me to just ride back to his place for burgers and a beer after which he’d throw my bike in his car and drive me home.  It was tempting…the burgers part anyway…but I could see that I’d get in around 60 miles if I kept riding and since it was a perfect night to ride and I was already out, I declined and pedaled on.

I arrived home just before dark road weary and covered in crusted salt.  I’d been on the bike for three and a half hours and felt strong.  The conditioning was coming along and I was gaining confidence that if I paced myself correctly, I could ride 75-100 miles a day for a couple of weeks as I would need to do during Tour Ohio.  It was a comforting feeling.

Bike duration:  Three hours and 45 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  3150.