The Ride!

I am really finding time to be my enemy these days. The children started school on Monday. This year I have 5 in school full time, 3 different schools, and next week Gogo starts nurser y school; so 6 in 4 schools! Without going into a laundry list of how I try (key word) and keep things organized, I have 3 calendars and 1 weekly dry erase board with daily events as a double reminder! If something is happening and it's not written on the dry erase board, no matter how many times it's on the other calendars, forget it! So amidst everything going on, I have been plugging away at this recap...

The weekend in VT was a difficult time to get away with school starting the next day. But we're managing... my head is juuuust above the water .... barely.

When we left on Thursday for the road trip to VT, my head was filled with many, many thoughts; thoughts of Sunday afternoon and prepping for school the next day, laundry catch up, future organizing when all the children are off and out the door (READ: throwing away toys that are never used without them knowing), laundry catch up, the group I'd be meeting up with in the next few hours and how much I love them and enjoy their company and respect what they were going to be enduring with me in the next few days, and of course, the ride on Saturday which was the biggest replay in my head. Well, that and the laundry catch up.

I can not stress enough, nor say enough how grateful I am to have this group of crazy people in my life. They have opened my eyes to new and different things. The give and take we all have with each other is such an equal part of the whole relationship, as a group, and as individuals. The support is unconditional. It's truly remarkable and I think they'd all agree to every thing I just said. Every one of them.

When the idea was tossed around about doing a charity ride because we all love to ride so much, I was luke warm to it. Another event? Wow. Maybe.... Then someone mentioned the JDRF ride that they had heard a mutual friend had done and was involved in - this was Tim's boss and friend, Paul's friend, Steve. Got that? ;)

I piped right in about how much that would mean to me personally, and shared a smidgy of Betsey with all of them through email, and form that note, it was done and people hopped on board and we rallied together to form this group to do this ride. Myself, I was in it for Betsey completely. It was a little hard for me, honestly... it kind of brought up all the feelings that hurt about diabetes. What feelings don't really? It's a sadness that doesn't go away no matter how many times I can giggle about other things, and smile at anything. There will always be a sadness that lingers - not just for me, but for Betsey, too, and her siblings, and her Daddy.

We had a meeting with Steve at a local favorite hook up. We discussed the basics, he gave me a JDRF jersey to bring home to Betsey. It had begun.

The Ride to Cure 2009 in Killington was a test of strength, endurance, willpower, and shear determination. You had to be able to take mud splatter to your face, slugs whipping up to you from the tires ahead of you, gravel in your eye, bad roads, wet road conditions, torrential downpours for hours at a time, and barely-there brakes.

Ironically, the rain was significant - it is Betsey's favorite weather! She loves summer, the beach, the heat, but a rainy day is what she's all about. Ever since she was a little girl. So oddly enough, there was some comfort in the wetness. But it was still c-ooo-oo-oold!!!

I woke up early in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, around 2am and heard the rain coming down and knew, the forecast was right on and we'd be riding in the rain. I had set my alarm for 5:00. Timmy was coming to pick me up for breakfast at 5:35. I fell back asleep for a while until the alarm sounded. I had not planned on the weather being as cold, nor did I plan for the rain, even though I had known it was a possibility. I had gotten in touch with Kurt, our "coach" before he drove up and he was kind enough to bring me some layers, some gloves and some wool socks - which I can NOT believe I wore!! Who would have thought I'd wear someone else's SOCKS of all things, and a man's, none the less, but I was scared of being cold AND wet. So I sucked it up -- thanks Kurt. When Amy got wind of that she said, "Are you actually wearing them?" The shop where that d@mn gondola ride was had some under armour long tights and I purchased those the day before. So I dressed all cozy as I could and hopped in the car with Timmy.

At breakfast, they announced the ride was delayed until 8am. There was hope in the air that the rain would dissipate and conditions would be better by that time. The ride director stressed caution about riding down the first part of the course - a 10 mile downhill descent with terrible roads --pot holes and snakes (thin cracks that tires fit right in!) and all the rain. Dangerous mix! I had driven down the hill and knew part of the length of it and knew at some parts it was steep enough to get some speed, but with wet roads, it could be a disaster.

After Ralph's fall a few weeks ago, I have slowed down considerably on the downhills. I was going to take it really easy and be extra careful.

At 8am we lined up in groups, our group together for the start. The National Anthem was played and a woman who had a very loud opera voice chimed in the words (did everybody hear her?!) And then we were off! My family was on the sidelines, yellow raincoats and rain boots (Hayls in her sandals b/c she didn't need sneakers, they didn't match any of her outfits!) taking pictures cheering us on! Speedo planned on driving the course and meeting up with us at all the rest stops.

The downhill was tough - it was so long, 10 miles going slow makes for a reallllly long hill and my brakes were barely working. Water was splattering all over my face despite how far apart I stayed from other riders. It was raining, and the skies were gray and dark. The roads were not great and it was tough to see to navigate the potholes and divots with the rain and the glare of all the bike lights. It was a miserable morning.

Someone had suggested plastic bags over our socks in our shoes to keep our feet warm and dry. Brilliant idea? Time would tell... So on top of my cold weather/rain gear, I had plastic baggies in my shoes, and a ziploc bag on my head under my helmet. Completely ridiculous looking, totally not attractive, but the point was to stay as dry as we could. Timmy, Louse, & Sheridan had shower caps on over their helmets! It was very funny.

About 7 miles into the downhill, I felt like there was some puddle forming in my shoes... It was wet, cold, and my toes were all wiggly in water. My gloves were sopping wet, my face was mucky, my pants were drenched. And I was so cold!

The first rest stop was a welcome one for my feet! My family was there in the big rig cheering for us as we pulled in! It was very sweet, very touching, and I loved seeing them! Speedo planned on following the course and stopping at all the rest stops to cheer us on! They turned out to be the BEST cheerleading section on the course!!

We all pulled in, regrouped together and I hopped off the bike to check my feet. The baggies in my socks were filled with water despite having tucked the tops into my pant bottoms, and my socks were about 1 pound heavier each, water logged! I took them off, rang them out, and did the same with my gloves. I ended up ringing them out at almost every rest stop.

We got back on the bikes and got into a groove and then ...Timmy got a flat. Mile 17.

It took him 2 tubes to fix it b/c the 1st one was sliced and he didn't know it. The punchies and the sillies began here , which makes everything always so much more fun. Steve is hysterical - the guy has a funny for everything. Just about everything out of his mouth is fresh and sassy. Gotta love it. The guy is like 7 feet tall and has a heart of gold with the mouth of a sailor.

Off we went through some roads that were not paved due to contruction. They were very rpocky and uneven...hard to ride on! We all made that noise out of our mouths as we rode over them like little kids... "ahhhhhhhhhhh!" We wound our way through some slight descents, nothing terrible. The ride felt pretty good, not much climbing at all. Looking back I now know we were pretty much downhill the first 41 miles! Easy.

Our favorite rest stop, and the one that drew a lot of attention at the dinner the night after the ride, there was a group of volunteers, one of them wearing a grass skirt and coconuts on her bosoms dancing! They were cheering "J-D-R-F!" It was a super peppy-make-you-feel-good-stop!

The ride really was pretty when you cold take your eyes off the path to look around, which wasn't often b/c of the hazardous roads. We came to this gorgeous waterfall and stopped to take pictures. It was so breathtaking - I can imagine what it's like on a beautiful sunny day in the Fall with the foliage! The sounds of the water, and nothing else.... very relaxing!

By this point we had all stayed together for the most part, with the exception of Kurt whose job as "Coach" was to ride back and forth, stop for assistance when needed by other riders and make sure no one was left behind. We only saw him a couple times on the ride, and I missed his company. He is such an integral part of our group and I think we all missed having him near as we rode. But I know he took his "job" seriously and he was just the man for it.

Our friend Neil was a part of our group on this ride. I know him from our regular morning spin class with Chris and he had brought along his friend Bruce. I chatted with Bruce on occasion and then caught up with him at the final rest stop before we starting "the climb." Bruce asked me how many miles we were at about at this point. I looked at my computer it was just over 41.

"I've only done 40 miles before," he said. He was smiling because he had surpassed his top mileage and felt good and was going for the full 100. I was happy to encourage him and to remind him to eat and fuel up, gu up, because he wanted to maintain for the 2nd half.

I noticed a man next to me at the rest stop and he was getting his meter out. We made eye contact and instinctively I asked him if he was ok, did he feel ok? He nodded yes, and said he tests his sugar at every rest top just to be safe. This kind of stuff blows my mind! I have a hard enough time balancing Betsey's sugar when she is swimming, playing soccer or tennis... and those times are short periods. We're talking 1-3 hours of vigorous activity. But for this guy to manage his diabetes on a 100 mile ride, maybe 8 hours of exercise?! Throw in the adrenaline, the food intake, the different carbohydrates -- my gosh, I was so enamored with him. And he was not alone - there was a crew of diabetics doing the ride!

So I did it again... I asked him if I could take his picture, would he mind? I told him I was riding for Betsey, I wanted her to see this.... plus, the guy had some funky pants on that probably should be tossed after the ride. You'll see what I mean in the slideshow! But more power to him for 1)riding the ride and 2)sportin' the pants! His sugar by the way, almost at the half way point was 147mg/dl - pretty good!

Someone mentioned to one of the road officials how it seemed as thought the ride was mostly downhill. And I agreed! It was pretty easy up to this point. I think during some of the good runs, we were averaging 24mph just going along. It was great! At the rest stop at 41 miles, I felt really good... Something was up. This was VT. We were in for something. Some kind of hilly treat for sure! The road official mentioned we had some climbing to do and not to worry! No big deal we all thought- we were ready for a climb at this point. Where we were was a point that we'd be coming back to after a loop around to make the ride the distance it was. So off we went, again, the group of us together. But the hills coming would not only separate us, but test us 40+ miles into the ride! Sheridan has a computer that measures the grade of the hills. One of the hills at one point was a 24% grade and one of the other hills, I kid you not, was at least 4 miles long!! It kept going, and going and going. It was gorgeous though, probably the prettiest part of the ride with decent roads. The houses were quaint and well kept, the landscapes were stunning with fields and horses... but the hills were killer! They took a lot out of all of us. But we dug deep, did some swearing and plugged away. After all, we'd been spoiled for the first part of the ride. At one point I wondered if I'd even finish because the hills were that big and long, and at this point in the ride, I didn't know if I had the legs for it. A bonus was that it was dry - the rain has subsided. if only for a little while. We were still damp, but not as water logged.

When we rounded the corner and ended up back at the same rest stop, I felt the strain of the ride. Fatigue was setting in for me and I was feeling hungrier and more punchy. Timmy mentioned we should start doing the pace line and drafting to be able to conserve and finish well. We had half the ride to go, and we needed to be smart.

The rest of the ride was uphill!

Ahhh, Vermont!

All that lovely downhill to the half way point was nice, for sure. We were going to have to work to get to the end. The finish was half way up the hill to the Killington Resort at a place called the Wobbly Barn. I had driven the hill a few times and knew the last part was going to be a do-or-die for us. I felt the need to have to conserve big time to make it through. I was all about the pace line. The funny thing is, at some points going down the slightest descents (the small climbs we had on the first half) Louse noted how slow we were going. It was like we had flat tires. Our legs were heavy. Bathroom breaks were becoming more frequent. We saw fewer and fewer riders and our group broke up. We were down to 5 of us; Sheridan, Louse, Timmy, John and me. Paul and Steve were just ahead of us.

We hit the rest stop that had the Coconut Boobs and my family was there yet again! They had a run-in with some Vermont-ites in a neighboring house that were not pleased with all their cheering and the JDRF chants going on with cow bells! My children stood their ground, proud to be a part of the event and kept right on cheering! They were awesome!

I was running out of steam by mile 80. My whole body was wet and cold, my hands were pruned and my face was disgustingly dirty! We rounded the corner towards the dirt road and decided to stop for yet another bathroom break and pulled off into some dirt. Timmy was getting tired too. He came to a stop and forgot to un clip. Both feet! He fell to the side, rolled onto his back with the bike standing straight up on top of him! I shouldn't have laughed because I didn't know if he was hurt - he wasn't - but the visual was hysterical party because I was so tired at this point, and partly because of the shower cap on his head! I lost it. Sheridan was laughing, I was laughing, and then I squeaked out an "I'm sorry, Timmy, I shouldn't laugh....are you alright?" He was fine of course and then he started laughing that laugh that is so signature Timmy. Loaf it!

I knew I was falling apart at this point. I was slowly draining and was starting to scrape from the bottom of the barrel. I had grabbed food along the way to restock my supply, but I was fresh out. I needed food. Luckily, John had a power bar in his pocket and offered it to me. I was hungry!

Isn't it funny how we need the sugar for these endurance events, and this one in particular, where sugar is a diabetics worst enemy and their best friend?

The last rest stop I gu'ed up again (gu is gross after about 4 of them, absolutely gross, but for me, essential). I gagged and swallowed hard and just barely got it down. A man held my bike for me as I wobbled over to the bathrooms with Sheridan and a little girl refilled my water bottle. I think they knew at this stop, the riders were exhausted. They were very accommodating!

The pace line on the way back now was crucial. The hills we had to climb were long and steep and never ending. Louse was tired. He was away the week before in St. Louis, and his sleep situation and food intake the week before were less than ideal for preparation for a century ride - in the rain. Plus, he had flown in the night before and gotten into bed in Killington at like 1:00am. He was a trooper. He was riding in honor of his dear friend Carole who lost her life because of complications of type 1. She was young. And she left young children behind. This was a meaningful ride for him and he was as determined as the rest of us to do it. And he raised over $5000! Go Todd!

At one point in the middle of a long climb, Louse fell behind. I kept going and then realized he was farther back than I thought. Timmy was next to me and I told him we had to wait for him. Sheridan and John were plugging away just ahead.

Timmy fell back and tried to get Todd on his wheel for a little pull. Todd didn't have it in him. He was bonking. Timmy said he had to go, he had to move on to make it up the hill, and Todd encouraged him to go without him, that he'd be fine.

I didn't feel good about this. I told Tim that. He said to just go... just keep riding... I don't like it when one of us is dropped, but there was another part of me that was buzzing in my head about my own body. I knew I had to keep going... I had to make my way to the finish. I was tired. My body was hungry and wet and cold. The stupid ziploc baggie on my head was driving me crazy but I coudn't take it off. It was literally one pedal stroke over another at the end. It was really, really hard. I had remembered the race coordinator reminding us at one of the meetings that A)it wasn't a race, and B)that it was our own ride. This stuck with me. At this point in the ride, I had to think about myself, what I needed to do to make it to the end.

Sheridan, John, Timmy and I caught up with Paul and Steve who just kept on going and going. We rode the last part of the ride as a group, but each of us making it our own ride, finding it within oursleves to finish. Sheridan and John were so strong!

We rounded the corner at an intersection that I knew was the final stretch! I saw a man ahead walking up the hill with his bike. I got up beside him, going slow enough to be able to chat for a second. My legs barely moving, they were screaming at me to stop moving...

"Who are you riding for?" I could see a laminated picture on his handle bars.

"My son."

"How old is he?"

"He's 8."

I encouraged him to go, do it for his boy... he could do this! We were SOOO close. Pedal on.... Come on....

In about 2 minutes, he passed me.... he rode on for his boy. Off he went. I started to cry. I lost it. I was riding alone, I was almost done, mileage in the 90's... I cried for Betsey, I cried for that dad, I cried for his boy, I cried because I was having a pity party and I just couldn't stop.

And there came Paul. Right next to me. I'm telling you... the guy has a halo.

"How you doing? You OK?"

"Yea, "I sniffed, "Don't start...."

He rode with me for a minute, dropped back. Next thing I knew, I could see The Wobbly Barn, the finish! Paul blazed past me.... I kicked into high gear and went. I got right up next to him, I was so done, I was so tired, but I was going to finish this, finish strong and kick it! We rode in together, turned into the parking lot and rode past Betsey and Speedo and the family, and we rode under the finish line!!!!

I got off my bike, walked to Paul and we just hugged!

It felt so good to be done! I was emotionally spent and my body was completely toast. But I did it!!! I hugged the children, Betsey, Speedo...

They handed out medals for finishing and I placed mine right on Betsey. The medal was for her.

For her courage.

For her strength.

For all that she does on a regular basis that doesn't even compare to 100 miles in the rain and cold.

Timmy came right in after me, Sheridan, John...

Louse came through shortly after us, making his way up that hill to the finish! I was so proud of him because I didn't know if some of the hills would bite him, and he'd have to be picked up. I should have known better!

Neil and Bruce came in.....Bruce looked right at me under the finish line and said with a HUGE smile on his face, "I did it!" I hugged him and told him I was so proud of him!!! What an accomplishment!!

Other riders finished and as they did they hugged their children whom they rode for, handed them their medals. There was clapping, cheering, tears of joy, tears of sorrow... It was heavy stuff.

Speedo packed up my bike and took the children back to the Resort to warm up; they were cold and tired too. It was a long day for them!

We went into the Wobbly Barn and everyone got celebratory beers. It all caught up with me in there. I sat on the stairs and melted down. I don't know why. It was such a great weekend; the people, the event, the ride, all of it. I just had to let it out, and I couldn't stop. Some woman came from somewhere and gave me a warm fuzzy blanket and I sat with Sheridan for a few trying to regroup.

When everyone finshed their beers, we headed out to watch for Kurt and his wife Sue and her friend Sarah to finish. It was freezing out there! Louse and I huddled in the blanket and Sheridan even got a marathon blanket! I was shivering from head to toe.

Kurt and the girls pulled in about an hour after we did!!! I was very impressed with Sue and Sarah having finished because they are not cyclists - they trained well for the ride, though, and they did it! Job well done!!

We took a shuttle (the one I made fun of the whole time we were there) back to the condo Timmy and Kurt and Louse were staying in and hopped right in the VERY HOT hot tub! Speedo and the kiddies were already there. That hot tub was like climbing onto a cloud in heaven. The noises that came out of me as I sunk into it were not right! When Sheridan and Tim and Todd got in, they made the same sounds!!

We all ended up at the dinner later. Congratulations all around were offered and reward jersey's handed out. One little girl, a 13 year old diabetic had signed on for the ride and finished! A dad and son diabetic had finished. One man had done more than 7 of the rides! One man raised over $24,000 on his own!

It was so inspirational! Such a warm and fuzzy feeling.

I was exhauseted though. I showed up in sweatpants and flippies, and just looked forward to falling asleep.

It was a very rewarding weekend, very positive and uplifting, and a very worthy cause. I am planning on doing it again next year and we're recruiting!! So if anyone's intersted...........

I want to thank all of you that contributed so generously to my ride for Betsey. The donations I received were from the heart and during these tough times, I want you all to know how much I appreciate it. The fundraising is a tough thing -asking people for money- the only thing that made it somewhat OK for me, was knowing that one day, it will make a difference.

Diabetes isn't a death sentence. It doesn't have to be dibilitating. Yes, it could be worse. But that's all relative. The fact is, there are millions of little children living with this disease. And one of them is my daughter. And there is no cure.

Someday I hope you all will be able to share a part of the happiness Betsey will feel when they do find a cure.

And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this ride successful and making it one step closer to a cure.

xoxo

Be sure to turn your volume up for the slideshow and click FULL SCREEN in the lower right corner of the video screen for best viewing!!