Ups and Downs

Its been a busy and eventful two weeks since I last posted here. This time last week I was in the Smokey Mountains of western North Carolina on an unexpected trip. A wonderful woman who touched many lives in many ways left us. My Step Mother was 77 years young and suffered a massive cerebral aneurysm. Our families gathered to celebrate her life and all she gave to us. She will be missed, but as Father John said at her mass, she is probably already sitting with the Saints telling them what each one of us needs the most! We will miss her but each of us who had the pleasure to know her came away with something special.

Expecting the usual hurry up and wait of this type of gathering I made sure that my Felt was atop the car for the trip. The twelve hour drive is normally tedious, but still we arrived in early afternoon and the weather graced us with brightening clouds and barely a mist. As my kids settled into their rooms and located Aunts Uncles and cousins I slipped on my bike pants, grabbed my rain jacket and headed out for the 7 mile ride to my father's house.

Hendersonville is at the top of the Eastern Continental Divide, about 2700 feet above the fabled golf courses of the eastern North Carolina shore. I checked bikely.com for posted rides and the flattest one listed was a 30 mile loop with a mere 2900 total ascent! Even my short jaunt across town involved 2 climbs totalling more than 500 feet!

My training must be paying off. As I set out my son also set out, by car. He passed me as I spun up the first hill but I caught him at the light. Turning downhill I kept pace with the 35 mph traffic and even passed them at 2 succeeding stop lights. I was nearly half the way there when the tail lights disappeared from view. Two climbs and mile and half ride on an impossibly narrow shoulder and I pulled into Dad's driveway, less than 10 minutes behind my kids. And more surprising, not winded! After visiting a bit with family I headed out again. I had decided that as long as I was in the mountains it was time to ride!

Riding along I began to note some distinct differences from riding in my usual areas. Obviously there was NO Flat land! The shoulders were narrow and most of the time I was forced to ride on the left side of the white shoulder marker. In New Jersey that would be an invitation to horn honking, balled fists, hurled epithets and the occasional raised proclamation of an especially irate driver's IQ (Yeah Buddy, you're number one with me too!). I have had my share of right side mirror near misses and once cleaned a shoulder height streak along the side of a landscaper's box trailer. And all this on wider roads. As I made my way along NC-191 toward Asheville I glanced into my mirror and saw three or four cars pacing me but waiting to pass. I eased over and waved them by but they still hesitated until they could pass with room. The drivers weren't cursing or honking, they simply accepted the fact they were stuck behind a guy on a bike moving along about as fast as a John Deere tractor. When they got the chance to pass they did so, even waving and saying encouraging things as they went by! Maybe those Share the Road signs work!
I finished a 12 mile ride in about an hour. I had ascended a total of 1500 feet of the gorgeous Smokey Mountains. I had ridden awestruck at the scenery, and the blue tinged mountains that appeared around each new curve or over the next rise, and with the exception of one brutal section of aptly named Mountain Road, I came back to the house feeling like I might actually come to like hills! No don't get me wrong, I still hold to my previously espoused dictum, hill IS a four letter word. but as our training regimen moves forward and my leg strength and lung capacity increase they just don't seem as tall. Or was it my Step Mom, calling me by my full name, whispering encouragement in my ear?

My return home was in time to join the rest of my team Saturday for our weekly ride. Our coach Frank once again led us through hill technique and a series of drills meant to add options to our riding tool kit. The leg burn was back as we circled the same hill and even tried some 'cycle-cross' riding our skinny tires up a grassy sledding hill. The Southern NJ/Shore TNT Cycle team is such a great group of people. They are positive, friendly and determined. We encourage each other in both training and fundraising. We are what a team should be, and I am very lucky to be part of this awesome group of people!

This week is Recommitment Week. This is the point of no return. Team In Training is based on fundraising. A small part of our fundraising comes back to the team to underwrite our expenses. It is LLS's way of saying thank you and obviously goal oriented campaigns are more successful than just asking for a donation. This week is the first step. This week members will be asked to make up the difference between the minimum amount expected by this date or leave the team. I have been fortunate that my colleagues are among the most generous group of people ever. I sent in my order forms, reservation papers and waivers knowing I will be going to Tahoe. As we came back to the park it was my turn to whisper. I asked my Step Mom, "Help these great people stick together with the team Maureen!". I know she heard me, I hope my team mates hear her. I look forward to riding that last mile on June 7th with all of the great people I have come to know!