Walking On Sunshine

How could someone complete this ride without inspiration?

Honestly, I don't know if they could. And I've already written about some of the people who inspire me - Holly, my sponsors, friends I've lost to AIDS. Over the next eight months, I'm sure I'll write about many more. But during my ride today, I was reminded of someone who inspires me to push harder, pedal faster and ride farther. Another pretty damn amazing friend who's been in my life for a very long time.

When I set out today, my goal was to hit 15 miles. My plan was to have an easy ride today and a longer one tomorrow. I thought maybe... maybe... I'd push myself to 20 miles depending on how I felt on the road. I'm just now averaging 20 miles a ride so no need to push it. Plus, I was setting out very late this morning... 9:30 a.m. Let's not even get into how I'm going to be "inspired" to set out during the actual event by 8 a.m. for seven days in a row. That's a whole other blog entry. Anyway, as my fellow desert dwellers are well aware, it heats up quickly here in Vegas. Fifteen miles would put me home around 10:30 - and 80-degrees. Twenty miles would be 11 a.m. and 85-degrees.

So I set off. You know the routine. Pedal, pedal, pedal. Pedal.

Pedal.

Pedal. Pedal.

Stop for a red light.

Pedal. Pedal.

Pedal.

Well if you didn't know the routine, you definitely know it now. Actually, at one point I wanted to lift off the saddle, rest my legs a sec and give the tush a little break but I was soooo into my cadence, I forgot to stop pedaling when I lifted up. My mind told my legs to stop. But. They. Didn't. Pedal, pedal, pedal. Almost sent me off the shoulder into the dirt & rocks. Quick reflexes (and a WTF?) saved me from a face-plant in the dust.

Anyway, there I was pedaling and listening to Best of the 80's on my iPod when I got to Blue Diamond & Durango. I knew I was close to 7.5 miles but since my phone with my mileage app was in my saddle bag, I wasn't sure how far I'd gone and didn't want to end up back home to find out I was short on my 15-mile goal. So I kept going. A few miles up, I knew I was safe and if I turned around there I'd definitely hit my goal. Must've had a reserve tank or something today though because I decided I'd go a little farther and hit that 20-mile mark.

Pedal, pedal, pedal. I learned that 99 Luftballons is a great song on a slight incline. 

It was around Nena's little song of protest that I realized I knew I was safely past the ten-mile mark and could turn around and glide up into my driveway with another twenty miles under my belt. Then out of nowhere I remembered this friend. A guy I've known since my childhood; as long as I can remember actually. When we were seven or eight, we used to throw household furniture into weird configurations, create flight-control panels out of cardboard, and play astronaut. At twelve, we'd hang out in my basement away from the parental units. As a teenager, I smoked my first cigarette with him and we tried alcohol for the first time together. We were very close and he knew all my deepest secrets.

And those thoughts and memories of him kept me going. Well, that and the fact that I felt I still had the energy and knew the ride back was mostly downhill. I also knew there was a good place to turn around a couple miles up and I decided that would be my milestone.

But it wasn't. When I got there, I was still thinking about him. And I kept going. figuring I'd head back when I got to the entrance of Red Rock. That would give me a solid 25 miles.

When I pedaled up to the gas station at the Blue Diamond/Hwy. 159 junction, I realized I'd been thinking about him for miles. Now, to give a little history, this is like many long-term connections we have in our lives. As we got older, I lost touch with him for sometimes short, sometimes long, periods. There were times that I got so angry, I would just shut him out for days, weeks or months at a time. Other periods in life I felt like he was the only person there for me. Through good times and bad, I was always forgiven for mistakes I'd made, supported during some of the toughest choices I've had in life, and even lauded for the most insignificant of achievements. When I rode up to that gas station - that predetermined point of turning around - I didn't. Instead I thought, "This ride's for him," and turned down Hwy. 159.

At this point in my training, I don't have much variety in my rides (that will change VERY soon!). This means I know my routes pretty well and, when I turned into the Red Rock Canyon entrance, I set a new milestone. The little town of Blue Diamond. Actually, I first thought I'd ride up to that place I spotted the burro on an earlier ride because there's a bit of a hill after that and I didn't feel like climbing it. But, after thinking about it, I knew Blue Diamond was just another mile up the road and once I climbed that hill, I'd be on the downhill of my ride.

Then I got to Blue Diamond and this lifelong companion's voice told me to keep going. Just a little farther. Bonnie Springs was two, maybe two-and-a-half, miles up the road. So I kept going... for him.

I made it to the entrance of Bonnie Springs, snapped a couple pics and thought, "What the hell." Turning into the entrance, I was excited because I'd never taken this side-street. It added another mile to my ride & was pretty darn cool too. Being a natural spring area, the vegetation grew thicker, the Joshua trees more dense, and civilization just a little further away.

I stopped here for my break. I hadn't packed much since I hadn't planned on a very long ride. But I had my trail mix in my jersey pocket and, fortunately, had filled both water bottles for the ride. More pics. A bit of resting. Waving at some of the cars passing by. Learning that M&M's may not melt in your hands but the ones in the trail mix sure as hell melt in a little baggie on a hot day.


As with all pit stops, I pulled my phone out of my saddle bag to check my mileage. 15.1 miles. Wow. There was no choice but to ride all the way home which meant I'd clock in at 30-miles making this my second longest training ride to date. Woohoo!!! As I hopped back on the CAAD-y (that's my nickname for my bike, heh!), I was grinning ear-to-ear. Then, turning out of Bonnie Springs back on to Hwy. 159, Katrina & the Waves came on the iPod with the classic Walking On Sunshine (yes, Wags, I thought of you!).

And I WAS walking on sunshine! Here I was hitting twice as much as my original goal. Right f*&#ing on! As Katrina belted it out for me, I started to dance while in the saddle. Seriously. Couple of fist pumps in the air. Singing out loud. Snapping my fingers. A lttle shimmy in the shoulders. Grooving to the greatness of the 80's and of this amazing ride. Other cyclists might have thought I was a freak but who the hell cares? This was MY ride and if I wanted to dance, then damn straight I'm gonna do it!

The ride back, as always, was a piece of cake after that 1,200 foot uphill climb. During this time, I sometimes just coasted and thought of my buddy. So very glad to have him in my life... to have grown up together... shared so much... overcome even more. On the way home, I decided to change up the route to add a few miles too. I did that for him to prove I could. And when I pulled into my neighborhood, I did a victory lap around the block like I always do. Then I did another. And one more for good measure.

I set out to ride fifteen miles. I arrived back home after 34.1 miles. Even more, I set personal records on two segments of the ride. Two other segments I achieved my second-best times ever. Got my third-best time on the Cattle Guard Sprint. Then there's the little thing about passing 260 total miles in my training so far. And I owe it all to the man who inspired me today. So I want to send a big shout out to the guy who pushed me harder, set my goals higher, and inspired me to do more than I ever thought I could....



Me.