mrs-roboto's Diaryland Diary

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RSVP Part 1

A great deal has happened since I last wrote. Heather and James came to town (and were lovely house guests I might add), we kayaked in the San Juans, met a celebrity chef , drank vast quantities of alcohol, consumed multiple pounds of salmon (much to the dismay of Heather's belly), soaked in a hot tub, hiked up a mountain, and biked to Vancouver. I will write about all of it at some point but for now (at the request of a few emails), I'll keep my focus on the RSVP.

On Friday, at the crack of dawn, we loaded up four bikes and headed to the start line. The sun was just on the rise but I could already tell we were looking at a very warm (by Seattle weather wimp standards) day. I was definitely anxious never having participated in an event like this before. Would the route be hillier than I could handle? Would my bike make it in one piece? Would the drivers on the road be complete jackasses?

To add to my anxiety, earlier in the week Pete had begun experiencing chest pains. He had seen his doctor on Wednesday and been assured it was probably just pinched nerves from hunching over the bike but with his family history of cardiac issues, you can never be too careful. I was consumed with thoughts that he might take a heart attack on the road in some remote area we accidentally turned into when we lost the trail. I guess you could say I wasn't in the best frame of mind upon departure.

As you may recall, our last preview of the bike course did not go well. We spent much time trying to figure out where to turn and how to get back. We also wound up on Winery Road which has the highest elevation gain in the Woodinville area. Between being completely lost, totally famished, thoroughly exhausted, and fairly dehydrated, I didn't have much hope for the actual ride.

I am pleased to report that I was unnecessarily worried. On the day of the ride, the course was well marked and contained 50% fewer hills! We hit the road at 7:20 AM and it was easy to follow the group of 1100 riders. It also became clear that my worst fear (being the slowest rider) was unfounded. The majority of the other riders were friendly, smiling and greeting one another along the way.

Our first stop was in the very cute town of Snohomish which is filled with antiques shops and cute little cafes. Pete and I shared the tastiest cookie known to man purchased at the Snohomish Pie Company and promised ourselves a leisurely ride back some other Saturday when we could browse the stores and indulge in some Blackberry Pie ala mode. We met up with Heather and James, who were traveling at a faster pace then us amateurs can handle, and agreed to check in again at the 55 mile mark.

We rode along rolling hills, past lakes, catching glimpses of the mountains in the distance. We stop and ingest a Power Bar of a shot of Gu and chat with other riders and the time seemed to pass quickly. My legs didn't ache nearly as much as I had imagined but I did get a certain clicking behind my right knee that was reminiscent of my hip injury last year. We passed the high point of the day at 48.2 miles with roughly 59 miles to go and I think we both still felt fairly strong.

We pulled into the rest stop at mile 77 around 2:45 PM and filled up on peanut butter bagels and cookies. There was also a tray of roasted potatoes but no utensils for serving them or plates to eat them on. In fact, people were just shoving their hands directly into the mix and popping the potatoes in their mouth. As you may know, I am a bit squeamish when it comes to germs so I steered clear of this bounty. We chatted with a group of six riders, three of them had done this every year for the last seven. There was something reassuring in hearing their war stories. One of the guys had never seen it this sunny and clear for the ride. He promised great views on Chuckanut Drive. He was also pushing sixty and a good hundred plus pounds overweight. I had to gather if he could do this, Pete and I could too.

 Amy 2 Pete
Amy and Pete head down Chuckanut

The final leg of day one was the much anticipated but also greatly dreaded Chuckanut Drive. Chuckanut is a winding, up and down road, with fantastic views of the bay, the San Juans, and the mountains. Parts of it are fairly steep and I'm still getting used to riding fast down the hills. However, I was so tired at this point that I went all out and rode the hills at top speeds, taking dangerously sharp curves without a care.

We pulled into Bellingham around 6:00 PM. That's right folks, we hit mile 105 about eleven hours after we left Seattle. Good lawd, that's some saddle time. Heather and James cheered us on from the deck of a Thai restaurant where they had water waiting. We gobbled down fresh rolls and wine and beer and retreated to the Holiday Inn for showers and a bit of vegging out before a "delicious" dinner at the Olive Garden. Frankly, I can't recall what I ate. I know Pete had something called the Tour of Italy which seemed to neglect the southern region entirely in terms of it's itinerary. It took all my energy to stay awake at the table. I have no idea what conversation I might have made. I'm sure my eyes were glazed over. I was in desperate need of sleep so we finished up and headed back to the hotel where I passed solidly out.

To Be Continued......

11:31 a.m. - 2005-08-10

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