Within seconds of starting the ride, I realized everyone…EVERYONE was going faster than I was. How could that be? I was in really good shape… at least I thought I was. Had I been lying to myself?
I mean I hadn’t really trained for the 250 mile ride on a bicycle, but I made sure I “did the stairs” every shift at my LEO job. That entailed climbing up and down about 30 flights of stairs at the Ameristar Casino in Blackhawk, while wearing the extra 25 pounds my police gear added. That was enough, right?
Most of the guys I worked with couldn’t hang with me on the stairs. They’d try once and then never take me up on the invitation again. It was lonely at the top. LOL!
So why was I having such a hard time keeping up with the other cyclists who were also riding in honor of officers who had been killed in the line of duty? Why was everyone easily gliding past me like it was nothing and here I was huffing and puffing at the back of the line? This was dumb!
I managed to get in a groove of some sort and not fall completely away from the group, but I was wondering how I was going to keep this up for 3 days riding approximately 80 miles per day at what felt like max exertion.
I was so thankful for the few stops we would have during this 2011 Police Unity Tour ride from Portsmouth, Virginia to the Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, DC. It was during one of these stops where my questions were answered when another rider told me how impressed he was with me.
“What??? I’m busting my butt to keep up with everybody. What are you even talking about? Impressed?”
“You’re riding a hybrid and everyone else is riding a road bike. For every single pedal rotation we do, you have to do at least two. You’re literally riding twice as hard as we are.” he informed me.
“Are you freaking kidding me?!?!?!?”
Here’s where ignorance, lack of research, lack of planning, cheapness, and maybe a bit of hubris had gotten me in trouble. I bet the guys at the bike shop PROBABLY tried to tell me I needed a road bike for this kind of endeavor and I PROBABLY thought they were too expensive. I PROBABLY looked at the hybrid and thought of all the ways I could use that bike once the ride was over. I DEFINITELY didn’t realize what a difference there would be in speed…or the lack thereof.
That was dumb! I had no idea that I had made such a huge mistake…until I saw how fast the road bikes around me could go.
Well, the only thing I could do was suck it up and pedal harder than everyone around me. So, I did.
What happened was amazing!
People in the group started riding alongside and supporting the dumb girl on the hybrid who had never done a real bike ride. People I’d never met before were teaching me about drafting and showing me the benefits of shifting gears. I’m not kidding…someone had to teach me how to shift to get up a hill without dying.
Learning how to draft was such a great lesson and I soon realized that if I started off a ride segment at the very front of the group, I could draft (or be pulled along) by the people in front of me. By doing so, I could make it to the next stop, not only with less of a struggle, but also not at the very back of the group. I might have been close to the back but drafting (relying on others) was a huge part of not failing and not falling too far behind.
Getting up hills was tough on the hybrid I had stupidly chosen and I did have to jump in the van (that would carry those who couldn’t keep up for whatever reason) for at least one hill. Maybe two, I don’t remember, but I tried my best to stay out of the van. I might have picked the wrong bike, but I was still going to do as much of the ride on that wrong bike as possibly I could.
I only remember having the use the van as a crutch once, but let’s say twice just in case.
The last stretch into DC and into the actual Law Enforcement Memorial was supposed to be tough and there were whispers among the leaders that I would not be able to keep up. They thought I’d probably need to ride into the Memorial on the embarrassing van.
My main “coach” who had just met me, already knew me well enough to know that just hearing this would give me the determination to prove them wrong…and we did! I say “we” because he was my pace bike and made sure I knew I’d have to push my hardest on this stretch to prove them wrong. He went slow enough for me to pace with him, yet fast enough for me to keep up with the group and ride into the final stretch with all the other LEOs and with my head held high….not in the van.
I made it! I had to work harder than everyone else to get there because I had made stupid mistakes. Oh, did the push hurt, but I proved them wrong! And the girl who was basically born saying, “I’ll do it myself!” learned that you really can’t do it all by yourself. It was the stupid mistake that showed me just how valuable cheerleaders, teachers, coaches, supporters, and encouragers are in life and in accomplishing your goals.
In the following years, I’ve learned to really cherish those who stand by me no matter how stupid the mistakes I make are…those who encourage me when my goal seems impossible…those who teach me how to get out of the mess I’m in instead of ridiculing me for being IN the mess…those who still support me when I’m in over my head…and for my cheerleaders!
You all know who you are and I hope I have reciprocated and held at least one of these roles in your lives.
So, who are your cheerleaders? Have you made any stupid mistakes that ultimately made you better and/or stronger?
I’d love to hear your stories.
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