Tour de Cure 2011

Eric and I decided to join a bunch of other crazy people and ride our tandem 100 miles on Saturday. It was for a good cause, the American Diabetes Association, and it was to test our endurance in preparation for the Tour de Louisville 2011 coming up in July. After our 60 mile bike ride last week, in the 95 degree hot heat, Eric wasn't sure if he'd be able to make 100 in one day, as is written on the schedule for the youth trip. Even though I didn't want to spend the $30 to register us and I was fighting feelings of child abandonment (because we are gone biking so many Saturdays) I signed us up three days before the event and we went.

Eric and I were on our bikes by 5 am to get in a few miles before the sun broke. It was also raining so we put on some ponchos and took a long route to Dunahees. After waiting for a while, we biked off with Makayla and Max to the speedway. Before starting the event, we'd clocked 17 miles. Yea! Only 80 to go!

We checked in and got on the race track. Oh yea, the event, that had 14,000 cyclists (if I heard the announcer right) was on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That I think was something also exciting for Eric. And me, I'd never been to the Speedway, so it was something new for me.

We got on the track and waited 20 minutes while people said things that we couldn't really understand. Everyone was anxious to start and a bit frustrated with the delay. 100 miles is a long way and we all wanted to get started while it was cool and cloudy.

Ready and waiting to start

Eric and I debated about whether we were going to stay on the track or go out on the 75k and come back to finish the 100 miles on the track. Staying on the track seemed like fun, but then I knew 40 circles was going to get dull quickly and if the roads were blocked for the big intersections then scenery and diversity seemed like a good idea. We chose the 75k and then came back and finished on the track. I'm very glad we did because I would not have finished if I had to go around that boring track all day.

There was one group of riders, I believe it was Pulte homes and I don't know how many riders they had in their group, but they drafted and finished their 100miles in four hours. Watching them go around and the drafting, keeping a speed of 22-25 mph was cause for a bit of jealousy. Eric and I averaged 15.1 mph by the end of it all. That average was helped by the few times we met a downhill on the route and once got as fast as 34.8 mph. The pedals were going too fast for me at that point and I had to hang my feet out until things slowed down a little.

We got back on the track, finishing the 46ish miles between 10:30 and 11. That put us at 60 something. We finished our last 40 miles sometime around 2. Eric went around an extra time with Mason on the back to help encourage his mom, Michelle Dunahee and then Eric and I went around again to help encourage Makayla Dunahee on her last lap.

Eric had to kiss the bricks at the brickyard.

Mission accomplished!!
110 miles ridden in one day.

Everyone got a picture like the one above. I will say that walking the bike up the stairs was not a happy thing for my legs. Then, because the bike is a heavy bike and I was fried by that point, Matt Dunahee and Mike Sorensen helped us lift the bike above our heads, stepped out of the picture, click and then jumped back in to bring it down.

We were going to ride our bike home, but Super Sabra had been at the house with our kids all day and it was four o'clock before we left the track. I was feeling bad for her and Patrice was at the house. So I was the toad and we loaded our bike in the Dunahee trailer and were driven home. As soon as we arrived home, Patrice and family had to leave as their kids were fried from their Saturday activities.

I will say that the pool felt WONDERFUL on my feet. I sat with my feet in the water for maybe 10 minutes before I mustered up the energy to go inside and put my swimming suit on. A short relaxing swim was just what gave me the energy to get ready for the annual June birthday party that would start around six.