Musings from the Armadillo Classic

Yesterday, Mark & I rode in the Armadillo Hill Country Classic. We had signed up for the 14 mile ride, but at the 7 mile rest-stop & turn around, we had a shared moment of—well I wouldn’t really call it ‘insanity’, more like a lapse in judgment. Whatever it was, we decided to keep going. My only defense is that since we were to return by the same route, we could decide to turn back before the next designated stop. I will say that my cycling computer showed the first rest stop at 7 miles—precisely where it should be. I watched the clock and was a little dismayed when the second rest-stop & turn-around did not appear at 14 miles. No problem though as we pedaled up to it at the 15 mile mark. So we had signed up for a 14 mile route, decided to try for the 28, and completed 30 miles when all was said and done!

It was a lovely ride. Beautiful area, well-organized, plenty of support & volunteers, etc. As usual the cyclists were very friendly & encouraging. We also saw a neighbor & one of Mark’s co-workers. And a highlight of the day was running into Frank, George, & Steve—three really nice fellows who have provided ‘bike support’ for the wheelchair athletes in the Texas RoundUp 10k. Since Mark & I skipped that run this year in favor of the Red Poppy Ride, it was nice to run into these guys at a bike ride. Steve did the 42 mile route; Frank & George did the 62 mile route. We 'caught up' with Steve at the 2nd rest stop (no matter that he was on the return part of his trip having already completed nearly 30 miles) and we 'passed' Frank after the last rest stop (well, he had completed more than 50 miles and was changing a flat as we went by, but we did pass him.) We saw them again at the end of the ride and hope they’ll pass us on another bike ride soon.

They don’t call this the ‘hill country’ for nothing, and it was a challenging ride. The good news is that I didn’t need SAG (support & gear), EMS, or a push up any of the hills. But all that time on the hills gave Mark some time to take some photos (you can click on the ‘2009 Armadillo Classic’ slideshow to see them) and me some time to ponder. Here are my thoughts about some things that apply to life as well as to cycling:

1. If you’re going uphill, don’t worry about what other hills & obstacles might be ahead. Just focus on the challenge you are currently facing and when you need to stop and take a rest, see what beauty is around you. Even when we're facing challenges, the beauty of God's creation is around us.
2. Always, always take the encouragement & good will offered to you by others—and when you get the chance (and there will be a chance), pass it on to someone else.
3. Don’t envy the folks going downhill on the other side of the road—they might be coasting now, but you don’t know what else they may have had to face. Take pleasure in their enjoyment of the downhill ride. Likewise, don’t detract from their pleasure by telling them about the hills to come—they have been on this ride too; they know there are more hills.
4. When you’re going downhill, enjoy the ride. Don’t miss out on the pleasure by worrying that an uphill is coming. That next uphill is going to come whether you worry about it or not; if you focus on it, you’ll just deprive yourself of the joy of the downhill.
5. It might feel like all ups & downs, but there really are some flat places here and there. Take advantage of those and don’t use them just to think about the downhills & uphills behind or ahead of you. (Also remember that what might feel ‘flat’ to you might be a bit of an uphill for someone else. So be kind if someone finds that stretch of road to be more difficult than you do.)
6. Finally, remember we’re all in this together. Like life, it is a ride, not a race. I am not judged on the quality of my physical equipment, on my speed, or my skill--and I'm not here to judge the other cyclists either. On the best ride, I feel a part of the larger group of cyclists: I get to encourage & to be encouraged, to rejoice for and with others, and to share our mutual pleasure in taking this ride together.
No wonder I like cycling! Thanks for reading!

A Great Ride!

Yesterday, Mark & I did the 14 mile route of the Red Poppy Ride in Georgetown (see pictures in the Slideshow list to the right, if you're interested). The weather was perfect--it sprinkled a few times, but the rain held off and there was plenty of cloud cover to keep the temperature down. We had a nice breeze (no hurricane force winds like we had last month in Salado!) and a lovely route. As usual, I enjoyed getting the chance to ride away from town; it was nice to see fields and streams and horses, donkeys, cows, goats, chickens, etc. I was amused by one donkey who just couldn't seem to figure out what I was as I pedalled by. He and his two equine companions watched me closely the whole time; I think they finally decided that although I looked strange, I wasn't a threat.

The route was well-marked; friendly volunteers helped with traffic at intersections and supplied refreshments at the 'rest stop'. Kudos to the organizers of this event! As usual, the bicyclists were very nice and supportive. The event was well-attended with all kinds of bicycles (recumbants, tandems, big bikes, little bikes...) and cyclists of all ages and skill levels. We enjoyed seeing the families out riding together.

I rode well; not sure what to attribute that to, but I was pleased with the pace I was able to keep, my effort on the hills, etc. It was also nice to be in a ride with cyclists of all skill levels. Although the avid cyclists still left me in the dust, I managed to stay with other cyclists throughout the ride--and even passed a number of folks (not all of whom were 8 year olds). All in all, we couldn't have asked for a better ride. This one makes the 'Will do again' list.

After the ride, we checked out the 'Red Poppy Festival' at the Georgetown courthouse square. It was pretty crowded, but we were able to navigate through the crowd fairly easily. If you like this sort of thing, look for this event next April.

Thanks for Reading!