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"We don work clothes and return to our jobs when the rides are done. Colleagues have no idea that we spent the weekend riding 375 miles. Our weary eyes are the only clue, as we keep the other arenas of our lives moving forward." I have been following @coffeeneur on Instagram for awhile now after discovering her blog chasing mailboxes.com last fall. Her most recent post on her 600k perm with her tandem partner @felkerino really spoke to me and in particular the above paragraph. Returning to work on Monday morning no one cared I rode my bicycle 340 miles all over the state of Indiana and in fact it's no longer a surprise to anyone in the local cycling club either. Coffeeneur talks about the secret society of randonneuring and this made me laugh so hard that the cat jumped out of my lap. I've had people refer to randooneuring as some sort of secret club I'm a member of. I've invited countless people to join but always hear in reply, "I could never do that." YES! Yes, you can! Because I'm out here proving that you can. I'm not a fast rider. I don't ride with the A groups hell I don't even ride with B level groups. I'm a turtle on hills and headwinds and my only QOM (a downhill segment) got taken back by the person I took it from. Randonneurs are relentless, determined, have more mental toughness than physical. To many this past weekend all I did was ride to the start of the RAIN ride, ride RAIN (Ride Across INdiana in a day), and ride home. But there's so much more to the tale than that, there always is. So here's my story about my last big build before my grand brevet in 5 weeks and like always it will not just cover my successes but my failures, my fears, and what learned. All of last week was a blur, and my life felt so disorganized. We had just gotten back from vacation meaning the living room was a mess of tandem parts, dirty clothes, and beer tasting glasses. I struggled adjusting back to an eastern time zone and going back to work with catching up with new protocols and changes. Neighbor Dan had just mowed his grass making it all the more obvious that we hadn't mowed ours in three weeks. My mother was diagnosed with Mono and needed help finishing moving all her things out of my her house/my late nana's house as she was closing on the house Friday. Talk about an awkward conversation with my boss! Hey boss, I know I was just gone for three weeks and I'm already taking Friday off to ride my bike some more but can I have Thursday off too? On top of all that my pet sitter and my #2-6 back up pet sitters all couldn't watch the critters over the weekend. Luckily, Steve's nephew Gary stepped up to the challenge. Even with all the stresses, I tried to get a good amount of sleep and keep my hydration and nutrition in check. Friday rolled around and no matter how much I crunched the numbers and what still needed to be done there was no way I would be leaving by Noon like I planned. The whole morning I tried to ignore the trees bending over because of the wind. "It's not that windy, you'll be fine!" After showing Gary all the in and outs of Darknoon Acres pet care I set off to my mom's house to care for her cats. On the way there, I was T-boned by a buck! What are the odds that exactly one month after my first fender bender that was right before a big cycling event that I would be involved in another accident right before a cycling event? The deer walked away, my car is dented up pretty bad on the passenger side, and I'm ok. I tried to not worry about it the rest of the weekend but the stress definitely still found a way in. I made it on the road about 2 pm right after writing down a bike route google maps suggested on my waterproof paper. I would learn several times over the weekend that bike routes from google maps are dirty little liars. They'll take you down the rarely used thick gravel roads, lie about the mileage and feet of elevation, and tell you the uncommon name for what the road sign actually reads.
Terra Haute is about 72 miles southwest from our house in a small town just outside Lafayette. I'm pretty sure you could guess by now that the wind was coming from the southwest. This isn't your first time facing a little wind Lydia and while the speed was about 15 mph with gusts over 20 mph it was not the windiest distance ride I've done. Not even five miles in a dark lingering cloud grew ever so closer and closer. Lydia, this is not the first time you've been rained on, you'll be fine. The shower was short but I still got completely drenched. I stayed positive. You get to ride your bike all weekend and it's not going to be a 100 degree! Woot! My next turn took me down a gravel road. I've had zero experience maneuvering on gravel as this past year because all that was required of me at gravel races was putting the power down with each pedal stroke and making sure we still got some calories. After a while I got the sense something wasn't right. I pulled my phone out and sure enough I had gone about two miles out of my way. I guess I should have written down how many miles the continue on lasted! The road I missed was unsigned. I quickly got back on route. A county highway took me through a small town with a new distillery. I thought about stopping to fill my water bottle but chickened out. A little further down another rainstorm let loose on a hill climb on a gravel road and I got drenched for a second time. I really hate wet shoes. The gravel was thick small rocks with several larger rocks mixed in. There were no car tire tracks but occasionally there was huge tractor rucks that made my sprained shoulder hurt. My anxiety increased as I was not used to the bike moving so freely under me. I came across another small town and knew I couldn't leave without finding water as I was completely empty. I found a drinking fountain in a local park. I couldn't understand why the route was taking me back the same direction I had just come until I realized.....Left Lydia.... why did you go right. Leaving the town, my sister called. She was surprised I was still riding my bike. Yeah, I know I'm slow in the wind, I got lost, and it's raining. She quickly reminded me that I was angry about drivers using their phones while driving and I shouldn't do the same while cycling. Yup, which is why I'm pulled over and safely stopped on the side of the road. I had to end the conversation there as it started to rain a third time. My directions took me yet again on another gravel road. I was starting to get frustrated now. I just wanted to be a camp and get a great full night's sleep before the next challenge for the weekend. I was prepared for the wind and rain but not for the gravel and it was quickly derailing my positive outlook. I struggled when things don't go as planned. I started cursing google maps for the route as the rain stopped and two farm dogs started chasing me. I stopped and yelled at them too. They were very confused and quite upset the chase ended. I tried to find the beauty in the country road as it winded through a forested area with no signs of habitation but lost it all as my bike shifted more than I was comfortable with climbing a steep hill. I didn't stop for a photo because I was racing the sun at this point to get to camp in time or rather I really wanted a full eight hours of sleep. My ovaries vanished as I squeezed the brakes and feared for my life going down the opposite side. Yes, I was scared and only going 12 mph. I made it to another town and ate a bunch of food in my pack. I gave myself a little pep talk that I was super close to a highway that would take me all the way to the start of tomorrow's ride. I crossed an iron bridge and got lost once again as the road was not signed and my phone was getting no signal. I got drenched a fourth and final time while I found my way to the highway and put the power down. I cursed google maps for lying about the feet of climbing at each hill I climbed. There was no reasoning with myself at this point. Quick math told me that my 72 mile ride was really going to be over 80. I know I know what`'s another 8 miles? When you're soaking wet and hangry and still traveling in a headwind that 8 miles means another 45 minutes. The shoulder was very wide on the highway and traffic light. I rolled into Saint Mary's of the Woods College just before 10 pm. I struggled to find where Steve said the campers were set up. Once I found camp I found our tent relative quickly. I collapsed in a chair. What a day. 80 miles in a headwind with scattered showers, and about 30-40 miles of gravel. Steve made supper as I changed clothes, stretched, and uploaded my ride to strava. I knew it! The feet of climbing was over double what google maps had said it would be. After eating supper, I laid my clothes out for the next day and went to bed. I was very thankful Steve was allowed to pick up my registration packet that evening. Steve made me bring my bike in the tent with us overnight.
I slept great overnight. I was awakened earlier than I wanted by eager cyclists in camp. There were a couple of groups of guys and I pictured them all outside showing off their TT bikes with their giant grins on their faces. Their was a big discussion about tire pressure and what was the best to use. Despite what studies suggest, because who cares about rolling resistance, they decied to run their pressure at over 110 psi. I rolled off the camp pad and cleaned up a bit with baby wipes. I put on my Jules Thread kit headed outside the tent. Steve was working on breakfast, oatmeal. I went to the bathroom. The line wasn't too long at the porta potty. I was next in line when a guy was like hey this one is open! Thanks I couldn't see the green symbol from where I was. I pull open the door to reveal a guy pissing in the urinal. Nope, not open! Back at camp, I packed my decaler bag and rear bag for the day. My rear bag was carrying all my tools and spare parts. While Steve was sagging for me today, but I was still treating it like a brevet and wanted to carry everything I would typically carry. I also threw in my rain jacket, and my med/bathroom bag. My front bag held food, my phone, and my battery pack. As I was getting my helmet on Steve comes over and grabs my hand and says you're doing an interview! Next thing I know there's a guy hooking a microphone up to me and the camera is rolling. He asked if I was nervous. I said I was more nervous doing this interview than doing the ride as I have ridden further distances several times. He asked about my goals, nutrition, and what I was looking forward too. Unlike every gravel race we did this year I didn't have an emergency nervous poop before the ride. After the interview, I had like two minutes to get over to the start. I haven't really thought about where I wanted to position myself, I just knew I didn't want to be in the group start here if you hope to finish. I squeezed past a couple hundred riders and just had time time turn strava on before the mass of riders got rolling. I immediately saw another rider with bigger tires and a fender. We chatted. He did the tour divide this year and made it pretty far until he got hypothermia twice. I felt great because after yesterday's headwind I was hella excited about a tailwind all day! I couldn't tell you how many times it rained as we rode across the state because I was so happy the temps were perfect and a wind in my favor. Sometimes I didn't know if it was raining or if i was just getting sprayed with a large rooster tail. Fenders! I don't care if they add a bit of weight. I love them! My goal for today was to accomplish 250 miles in under 24 hours. The RAIN ride is 160 miles starting in Terra Haute and ending in Richmond. Over 1,100 riders decided to ride despite the rainy forecast. I past fellow WRCC member Sarah and saw she was riding with fellow randonneur Donald. Still feeling great I didn't want to slow down and continue to push the pace. I'm sure Sarah understood as we never made plans to ride together. I had made the decision to not draft with any groups. With only 50 riders at the 1200k we are bound to get split up. A part of me also wanted to show that I and I alone could complete RAIN in a great time and that last year success wasn't all on Steve. RAIN was a training ride for me, I wasn't trying to be the fastest female out there or set a PR record time. I chatted with several cyclist along the way. Many who were doing RAIN for the first time. I told them don't think about the total distance, just the distance to the next sag stop, to keep the sag stops as short as possible, and don't neglect eating and drinking. I told every women I saw what a badass they were and how they were crushing this ride. I was having so much fun chatting with other cyclists and hearing their stories. I ran into Toshi a randonneur from Ohio. He was a riding his recumbent. I was great at keeping my control stops to 10 to 15 minutes. I missed Steve at the first control because I was in and out so fast. So many people commented on bike either because they loved it or they wanted to know about the gearing. One person even said he liked the vintage vibe! Yes, that's what I was going for! Towards the end of the ride the comments shifted from my bike to me. I was getting pasted by the same all male pacelines for the 5th or 6th time. They couldn't believe I was out there riding as fast as their were and I wasn't even on a road bike. Yes, it's a road bike... but set up for long distance aka comfort over speed. One group commented that they couldn't believe I hadn't drafted with anyone all day and was still pushing great speeds. I got called a beast, incredible, amazing, unstoppable, and a machine. Retrospectively, I wonder if some thought I was riding a single speed because a rohloff hub isn't as well know. I never hit a wall, never cramped up a hill, or dreaded for the miles to be over. It couldn't have been such a polar opposite from my first RAIN ride back in 2016. I crossed the finish line smiling at just after 6pm. 160 miles in 10 hours ride time with 1 hour of total stops meaning I finished 3 hours faster than I did in 2016. There were no tears. I felt happy and really to continue on my journey back across the state. Back at the truck, I ate a bunch of food, like an insane amount of food. A group that had passed me several times was packing up in the truck next to us. They again commented how impressed they were. Steve commented how this was nothing for me. He talked about my 600k and how I rode down to the start and was getting ready to hop on my bike and head back the other way. Their jaws dropped. I changed my clothes and grabbed the blanket. I was going to take a quick nap while Steve wrote my directions down. As I was napping I heard Sarah in the background. Hooray, she finished! I was too cold to go congratulate her. I took too long to get back on the road. My route took me on a bike path after traveling less than a mile threw town. I crossed paths with a couple of teenagers on bikes. It was sprinkling again. A few miles down the road I had to go to the bathroom really bad. I leaned the bike up against the handicap portapotty and raced inside. A few minutes later I heard the teenagers. I hope they don't steal my bike. Why did I not bring it inside with me! The bathroom is plenty big enough! Back on the path I was cold without my rain jacket but hot with it on so I kept it on but opened the zippers so my chest was exposed to the wind. I saw two kittens cross the path and stopped way too long to try to catch them. I almost cried biking away because I had saw a fox a mile back. Dark approached rather quickly. You could tell some bad storms went threw the area because there were several down branches. oh and trees! Good thing I have an awesome light to see pretty far up the road to allow me to stop in time to avoid crashing into the trees. My legs felt heavy and everything seemed hard. It felt like I was constantly going uphill the whole time. I got a little sleepy and decided to pull over to take a 5 minute nap on a park bench. Just as I laid down a truck drove up quickly into the parking lot. WTH! Who is out this late? It was Steve. I yelled at him for scaring me and ruining my nap. Back on the bike trail I saw several more creatures and they all gave me fright...opossums, groundhogs, owls, birds, rabbits, squirrels, frogs, and bats. As I approached another town I saw what looked like a guy standing in middle of path. Shit it is almost midnight, am I seeing things or is that actually a person. It was Steve. He was worried about me and did not want to go straight to camp. I told him I would text every hour if that helped. The bike path seemed like it would never end. I passed threw a town and a cat ran out in front of me. I got turned around and went the wrong way at first. I passed a garage and two men were outside by a trash barrel fire. What are they doing up? I was back on a trail and passed several houses with lights on. Why, its 2 am? The trail was pitch black and silent out of town. I screamed at every movement in the branches. I got a case of the sleepies again so when the next bench came along, I slept for 5 minutes. I came across a sign that the trail was out and I ignored it. I saw a few cut up trees on the side of the path and thought oh that is probably why the path was crossed. I also noticed fresh gravel laid on the side of the path. I came across a orange caution fence. I ignored it and kept going. A little ways down the path I saw a huge shadow blocking the path. From the limited light I had it looked like a wooden bridge that was above the path and creek came crashing down. Hmm There was no way I was turning around so I decided to climb up and see if I could cross it. I had to climb up around 10 feet. Walking across and looking down on the other side I sighed with relief seeing the drop was about four feet. I walked back over and very carefully with my arms threw the gaps hoisted my bike up and over. I carefully set her down on the other side and got myself down. I tripped on some wood leaving and my bike fell over. Bent the handbars a little but later Steve was able to fix it. The trail took me to another town and across town I was suppose to get back on a trail but I could not find it. I got really sleepy on the road and noticed I was swaying closer and closer to the center line. I panicked trying to find a place I could rest. There was never a spot but the activity of looking for one woke me up. Google maps took me on more gravel roads then another bike path. One section had flooded and even with me trying really hard not to get my shoes wet I did. The next section went past a factory that smelled so bad I almost puked multiple times. More gravel roads and more hills. I have been on enough rides to know that I had easily double to tripled the feet of climbing that was predicted. For some reason the route kept re routing and I tried not to get angry for another gravel road. Why am I going so slow. The service at camp was limited and I knew I would not be able to question steve further where camp was. The sun had started to come up and I saw on the map there as a service road that went to the back side of camp that would cut out several miles. YES. I did not care it was gravel. I scared a doe and fawn on my way up the hill. Luckily, the first road off the service road was the road steve set up camp. I crawled into the tent just a down pour came down. I set the alarm and went to bed. I had rode a total of 260 miles in 23 hours, within my goal. I slept for about three hours. My plan was to meet with some local club members for a ride in Peru then ride home from there. I showered and got ready. Steve noticed my front tire was flat and asked how long it had been like that. IDK. We changed my tire just as another huge down pour occurred. I stood in the tent and waited. The weather did not look promising all day. The peru ride was canceled. I could not do it. I could not get back on the bike and ride in the rain home. After two days of being wet I could not do it for a third especially for just a training ride. So after the storm passed we tore down camp and went home. I lay on the couch cuddling the cat napping on and off. Each time i woke it was storming and I was like nope and back to sleep i went. Fingers crossed it does not rain every day at Mac and Cheese!
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