From left, Luke, me, Charlie, Ann and Mark. Great group for TOMRV 2011! It was awesome that they let me tag along for the ride.
Tracee, Dan, baby Clare and I rode up the 4th St. Elevator in Dubuque for an amazing view of the river and downtown Dubuque.
The Wall on TOMRV 2011. One of the steepest climbs on the route with about 11% grade at one point.Drinking beer
Watching cycling on Versus
Blogging about getting back into shape
Reading "Triathlete" magazine
Talking about my "goals" to do "epic" races and efforts
Realizing this, I stopped being angry with myself and decided to get my ass in gear.
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After work on Friday night, I took off for Preston, Iowa, to ride the shorter version of TOMRV (Tour of Mississippi River Valley). I got into Preston around 10 pm and met the nice family I'd be staying with.
Two weeks prior, my friend Abbey had said that her dad, Mark, was riding TOMRV and that I should join their group for the 2-day ride. So I did.
In Preston, we stayed at the house of Mark's sister and I was able to meet the group I'd be riding with - Charlie & Ann, Liz, Luke and of course, Mark.
On Saturday we got up at 6, had a great breakfast, and were registered and on the road by about 7:30.
It was slightly chilly that morning and unfortunately there was a 10 mph headwind most of the day but we avoided rain and had relatively nice weather (at least it wasn't 90 degrees!).
The first third of the ride was fairly flat and Mark and I pushed the pace for a while, and we zipped through the first section of the day. Overall, we would end up going about 70 miles on Saturday.
The rest of the day was all about the hills. Climbs like I've never been on before, having lived in north central Iowa all of my life and never having ventured to any mountain ranges with my bike.
We climbed The Blowtorch, The Wall and many other hills on the day. The Wall was the most difficult effort with the grade maxing out around 11 or 12%. After The Wall, my legs were shot. We had about 15 miles left to ride but I was starting to bonk and the legs were filling up with lactic acid.
I'm just over 185 lbs. right now and I could definitely tell that the added winter weight was making these tough climbs even tougher.
Mark was the gold star climber of the group while the rest of us struggled our way up those hills. The easiest gears on our bikes weren't easy enough!
We finished out the day with our bodies still intact but our legs aching.
I rode (uphill of course) to my friends house in Dubuque for a much needed rest. It was great to meet Dan & Tracee's 2.5 week-old daughter, Clare, and I held her for about an hour without her crying at all - #babiesloveme. It sure is cool to hold a newborn baby and look at the funny faces they make as they coo and smile and sleep.
I had a few beers after showering at their house and then we went on a short tour of Dubuque which included a ride up the 4th St. Elevator cable car for a great view of Dubuque and the Mississippi River.
After grilling out, Dan and I ventured out to a couple bars for a couple beers and by 10 pm we were back to their house and I was fast asleep.
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I woke up Sunday with sore legs and did not enjoy getting back on the bike saddle - #soreass.
But once we got going again, I felt decent enough.
Mark and I started the second day's ride at 6:20 am and rode through the fog and the Mines of Spain State Park just outside of Dubuque. If you haven't been there before, it is definitely worth the trip.
As we left the Mines of Spain, we started ascending a 3 mile, gradual climb that kept going and going and going. I have a much greater appreciation for the professonial cyclists who climb the mountains in the Tour de France -- the hills of the Mississippi River Valley kicked my ass and they don't even come close to the difficulty of the Alps or the Pyrennes. Not close by a long shot!
For me, though, these were the two toughest days of climbing that I've ever done. And as we climbed up Upchuck Hill and completed the final three hills leading into Preston, I realized that I need to start doing some hill repeats at Pilot Knob again. And by "some" I mean like 20 in a row.
After finishing the short, hilly, 42-mile second day, I realized the last two days were exactly what I needed.
I didn't write about riding or watch cycling on TV. I rode. I climbed. I pushed myself.
TOMRV was a two-day slap in the face. It was humbling to ride up the many hills and have my legs hurt like hell.
In high school I gave one of two graduation speeches to my classmates, and I referenced Teddy Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" speech:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how
the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them
better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face in marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short again and again, because there is no effort
without error and shortcoming; but who
does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows
great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends
himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least
fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
I didn't power up the hills...but I pushed myself. I put my ego back where it belongs. I lived life. I felt alive. I rode up the steep hills of the Mississippi River Valley so I could triumphantly ride down them.
I'm not going to end this blog with any predictions about what I'll do next.
I'll just say that it feels good to be back in the arena.
Enjoy the ride (and the climbs),
Damm
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