My good friend Kylie Sullivan has always been the pusher. My laid back Aussie friend is a go-getter. Im like the mellow type but love the challenge. Kylie suggested that I start training for triathlon (swim, bike and run). The triathlon sport started in San Diego but it spread as far as the country like Australia, which got many Aussies damn so crazy about it.
I thought it’s a good idea but Im still not convinced. Kylie did a great job selling the sport to me. She said “when you do your mountaineering you climb high, it maxes out your cardio and then you come to sea-level to do your triathlon, the two most enduring sports compliments each other”. So I said “okay – I’ll try”. However, my good friend moved back Downunder before the end of 2011. I had no one to train with.
During my boring hours, I tend to browse which cities have epic event. It got caught my attention that Auburn is the home of endurance sports. I found info about this Wildest Ride, and immediately registered. That was sometime in February. The month of March I ran into personal issues that I could not really do much training. It carried on until mid-May, until the calendar alarm on my phone reminded me of it. Luckily Chris Mattos had this in mind to cycle locally but had not ride with Chris yet. I was riding my mountain bike back then.
I joined a bunch of cycling club. One was WAV (which I had been a member from the time it was created). But by then when I wanted to ride more, the group had a different owner and I no longer know most members. Then I signed up the WeTri ~ Women Triathletes & Duathletes All Levels meetup group.
I am not the fastest rider. When I did a 300 miler ride in day, I was in my 20s. My physique back then was far from the way I am today. I am fatter today! I thought I could still do epic rides if I would really just put my mind into it.
There was an event which WAV posted, bunch of road cyclist, and me the mountain biker – toughing it out. From the correspondence, it sounded like I am not welcome. I went ahead anyway, not because Im thick-skin, but I just want to get out. That day I went with the road cyclist, my chain dislodged that I waited for a good samaritan to stop to help me out. I was not discouraged by the unwelcoming group. In the hiking community its about the same, you tend to see organizers think they are so above you.
Then the WAV facebook group removed me out for an unknown reason, so I quit the WAV meetup group as well. When Michelle of WeTri posted a 6PM road cycling, I don’t know what got into my mind but, instead of taking my mountain bike, I went to Bicycle Plus and purchased a road bike. We cycled close to 30 miles and with more speed that night, instead of just 20-25. I probably got Michelle tired coz she did not post one after that (lol).
I've been told by few peeps that cyclist are the biggest whinnies. I dont go with stereo-typing but after all my experiences with some women cyclist..I think the rumour is True.
Chris Mattos wanted to cycle one Sunday. I invited Kelly Town, one pro and two very beginners, attempted Shirland and its surrounding hills. After that I went to Beatty Dr in El Dorado Hills to do repeats by myself. The Auburn event was getting closer. I could not do more rides on the Memorial weekend because I already had prior engagement to traverse the Grand Canyon with the SouthCal group.
A week left before the Auburn’s Wildest Ride event, I did more training the “Chris Mattos way”. It means climb all signature hills in the Foothills (Baxter Grade in Auburn, Serrano and Beatty in EDH and few good hills in Cameron Park). Honestly, there was not much warm up during the training rides. Its all cycling uphill. I never complained. As a member of Norcal Peak Hikers, we must love the motto – “More Altitude and Less Attitude”.
I love listening to Chris pointers as I ride my bike. The same when I just started my mountaineering – I gotta listen to the master! As a student, I greatly appreciated the free training. I got my monies worth. At the end of the ride Thursday, I felt like I was ready to pound my road bike with all the hill climbs of the 140 miles. One problem Im trying to fix was adding clipless. The job couldn’t be done before the Auburn event so there is not much I can do but will ride my road bike as it is.
My companion volunteered to be my pacer. That was a relief. One thing I am bad at, is road direction. I’ve been driving too many times in Roseville but I still get lost there.
A day before the ride, I ran Freel. Not much of a run though, I felt the altitude got me a little bit. Trailhead started at 8400 ft to nearly 11000 ft. After the Freel run, I felt good and with little boost of confidence, because the old saying has been that lower air pressure produces more hemoglobin and that in turn fuels more oxygen to the muscles. Keeping my fingers crossed that this theory better work, I checked in a day before and was at the starting line before 5:30AM.
By 6AM, my companion and I attempted 140 miles. He already had this in mind, that its not a tour but more of a “work”. My strap code color was blue. I was enjoying it in the very beginning. I thought it was like a tour in the park where cyclist stop and chow. My non-clipless pedal was very much a downer as expected. When it was time to attempt Iowa Hill (as other cyclist called it “Iowa Hell”), my mtb shoes kept on slipping, that it was even faster to just run up the hill.
After the infamous Iowa Hill, there were more hills. However I surveyed this segment of the ride, so it was no surprise. I was very disappointed though during our lunch stop. As per the write-up, “From our rest stop the lake will invite you in and our delicious meal will replenish your energy”.
Where’s that delicious meal? After burning all that calories, you were served the same crappy food. I thought that I would get something more hearty and big meal. Unlike in mountaineering, even though there are no volunteers, at least mountaineers have dry-freezed food. A real food!
I did not expect the lunch food would fuel me all the way to Robinson Flat. Few miles before that turn, I was hungry again. My legs can pedal hour after hour. In fact, Im lucky to have legs that could traverse 20 hours in a day without stopping. But when a stomach is growling, that feeling of jittery sets in, which eventually affects my whole body and performance. I ate already my flatbread hummus on our way to Dutch Flat, not much left but to survive on GU gels.
Before the turn to 140 miler, my companion asked me again if I wanted to still do 140. I’ve decided, based on the food and time left for us, and the unknown circumstances, that its best to shorten the ride. We ended up doing the 110 miles.
On the way back to Foresthill, it was fast tracking ride. I love any kind of downhill, where I can just enjoy the thrill of speed. We’ll the speedie did not last that long, because my companion’s cannondale had two separate flat tyre. Luckily the last one was just 3 miles from the finish line.
The seventh time riding my road bike (in two weeks), I conquered an Auburn century and most of its famous hills. Im so proud that its now behind me. At the parking lot, few riders congratulated me for having done it. The rookie graduated to a pro even though I do not even know how to ride in clipless and standing position. I am very thankful of Chris Mattos for providing all the training a rookie cyclist could ask for. I am also thankful to my companion for voluntarily pacing the ride. Its greatly appreciated.
Overall, I enjoyed my first Auburn century. After I got home, friends told me that Auburn century is more of a training than a bragging rights. What ? I wish I have known it……..grrrrrrrrr. Furthermore, I found out that its not even in the top California rides, even more grrrrrrrrrrrrr. That if I would like to do cycling with quality bragging rights, that I have to look at events in the High Sierras. Nevermind, its done!
So there I go, done cycling in century distance. Now I’ve got to work on how to conquer the real cycling rides of California, the High Sierra Rides "Everest Challenge Stage Race" and "The Whitney Stage Race".
https://picasaweb.google.com/112364082721983243207/AuburnWildestRide#
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