The 70 Mile Ride

Ready for 70 miles? The ride for the weekend started from Culpeper. The route is known as Old Rag Views, with the ride start altered to give previews of the Culpeper Sprint Course. Several people had ridden the route last year and told tales of woe regarding the challenging climbs and whatnot. I knew it was going to be a long tough day. I was armed with my brand new large Bento Box and Aqua Joe so I was set to help sustain myself for the long road ahead. (Excuse the pun.)



The first third of the ride was relatively easy- gentle rolling hills. The homes we passed either seemed to be absolutely beautiful or serious white trash trailer homes. I never saw so many recliners, tricycles, and bench presses lying around the front lawns!

However, the latter half of the first third rapidly improved in terms of scenery. We biked parallel to the Robinson River, which was gorgeous. Additionally, the road we were on lead toward the rear entrance to the White Oak Canyon/Cedar Run Hike, one of my favorites. Because of the popularity of this hike, several quaint stores were lined along the road.

I was primarily biking solo for the first third, however. I had to stop momentarily a couple times to adjust my biking shoes and to shed a layer of clothes. Therefore, I was rapidly separated from the group. It was nice to great some smiling faces at the first rest stop.

Shortly after the first rest stop, we were in for a tough climb. I wondered if I was suddenly transported to one of the many challenging roads in Europe. Fueling this fantasy, I was biking with Jen Marquardt, who was wearing a real Chianti Classico jersey. I told Jen that she was inspiring me to crack open the bottle of Chianti Classico that my coworker Joni brought me, from her fall visit to Tuscany.

Susan (our ride leader) had told us that after this climb, we were to be rewarded with an awesome 4 mile decent. I was excited. However, my excitement turned into some disappointment, as the decent wasn't as thrilling as I anticipated. It was a net loss in elevation, yes, but an opportunity to fly down a mountain, no.

The views were rewarding, though. We were biking in the shadow of Old Rag Mountain. Although I was by myself again, the ride was rather enjoyable, given the scenery.

That is, until we approached Round Hill Road.

Round Hill Road was, in a word, challenging. There were a series of 4 climbs that stood like walls. We were forewarned about these hills as the toughest section of the route. However, I thought I heard in the route preview that this tough section was in the last third of the route; I was in the middle third. I nearly wanted to cry. Those hills were quite challenging and I thought that the toughest part was yet to come! What hell did I have to look forward to?

Needless to say, I was rather elated when I approached the second rest stop and discovered that the series of tough climbs was indeed the most difficult part of the course and it was already behind me. Yeah!

At the rest stop, I was able to rejoin with Carol, Joanna, and Kitty. We had all been biking solo through that tough section and were in need of support and companionship. Our spirits got lifted from the Reese's PB cups from the rest stop and the chance to socialize on our bikes. On top of that, the terrain was relatively kind to us.

We eventually got spread out once again, but by this time, the end of the ride was within sights. I saw Susan a couple times, who was providing SAG support. (SAG stands for support and gear.) I was counting down the miles to reach the end.

We all shared in a small victory dance upon reaching our cars. A tough 70+ miler was behind us. On top of that, it's the most challenging terrain we'll face though our Ironman training season. And it's in the past.

To celebrate, Joanna, Pam, Carol, Carrie, and I visited Dairy Queen enroute home. After a workout like that, we feel like we can consume any guilty pleasure without remorse. I embraced that notion, chowing down on a double cheeseburger, a chicken wrap, and an Oreo mint Blizzard. YUM!