Participating in Amy’s Ride 2008

On the weekend Tony and I–just as we did this time last year–joined 2,000 other riders to support the Amy Gillett Foundation on Amy’s Ride. The ride supports a great cause–to promote awareness and safety on our roads, and trying to reduce death and injury caused by interaction between cyclists and motorists. And after reading Cadel Evans’ take on his experiences along the Great Ocean Road, what better place to hold ride than around the Bellarine Peninsular?

This year we decided to tackle the 65km course (or 70km according to the Bikely course map), which was a step-up from our 40km-come-20km effort last year.

After a hot couple of days in Melbourne leading up to the event, the weather on the day proved to be almost ideal conditions for riding–mild and overcast–although at times there was quite a strong headwind to contend with, particularly through the coastal areas around Breamlea.

The chosen route was not overly difficult. The climb upwards at Leopold was the most challenging hill, with most of the terrain thereafter pretty flat, open and slightly undulating. The breath-taking scenery on the bluff at Barwon Heads was the highlight, with uninterrupted views of the ocean. On the bike you get a real appreciation of the scenery. You can see it, feel it, taste it, smell it and hear it. All of your senses are engaged, compared to witnessing it visually through a 1/4 inch piece of hardened glass in your car. It’s difficult to explain, but it’s almost like you become part of the scenery. I suppose that is a large part of the attraction of cycling for me–feeling closer to nature, and being more at one with the environment.

Having recently completed the Coastal Explorer Ride and getting through the 85km leg on day two comfortably, I went into this ride very confident that the 65km would be a breeze. However, with about 10km to go I started to feel a little soreness in the right thigh. I changed down a cog to make the pedalling a little easier to ride it out for a while. That seemed to work as it came good, and the soreness disappeared. Until, a couple of kilometers later the pain returned and I also started experiencing similar pains in my left thighs. It was cramp. I was completely incapacitated. My left leg ‘locked’ and I just couldn’t move it. I nearly came off my bike, and swinging my leg over the saddle to get off the bike proved a major challenge.

I’ve never experienced anything like it before–not cycling, nor doing any other sport. I can’t say what caused it, although I discovered later when removing my bike from the car rack that I have a slight buckle in the rear wheel of my bike. This causes the brake to grab at the untrue wheel in spots, which I suspect may have added extra load to the energy of pedalling. It’s plausible, but it’s more likely that the cramping was the result of dehydration. Despite carrying two bidons and drinking plenty of fluids during the ride, a few days of hot, dry weather before the ride had taken its toll. A lesson learned for next time!

So, for the last 5 kilometers, I had to put up with Tony chiding me about having to walk up hills and for holding up the team. But despite that–and my ailment–I really enjoyed the ride. It’s a great way to start off the new year and Tony and I got to do an extended GTD review along the way. An exciting year lies ahead.

Perhaps next year it’ll be the 120km course? Those guys passed us at about the 55km mark, putting them a good 60km ahead of us–although we did stop to smell the coffee, take in the magnificent vista and soak up the atmosphere.

[ 0 comments ] [ cycling ]