Another Rider's Perspective - This Is Hysterical

Months of training and four days of grueling AIDSRide turns amateur cyclist into a sore amateur cyclist.
By EDIE GROSS
The Free Lance-Star
Date published: Sun, 06/23/2002


I AM, at best, a competent cyclist. I know that if I use the front brake without also using the back brake, I will launch myself over the handlebars like cafeteria applesauce off a seventh-grader's spork.

I know that if I ride with an untied shoelace, it can wrap around the chain doohickey and make my bike and me one with the pavement.

I know that there are only a few select people who actually look good in those spandex bicycle shorts--and I am not one of them.

So perhaps you can understand my hesitation when my best friend, Stephanie, suggested we do the 330-mile Washington AIDSRide, an event sponsored in part by a shock-trauma center.

Surely such an undertaking required skills beyond those I possessed. I mean, I can ride a bike, and if a roving gang of 10-year-olds on Huffys were terrorizing my neighborhood, I could probably pedal fast enough to escape.

But Lance Armstrong I am not.

Stephanie knows this. She also knows I'm a sucker for good causes.

The Washington AIDSRide was a chance to raise money for the Whitman-Walker Clinic and Food & Friends, organizations that provide valuable services to people with AIDS and HIV.

Stephanie and her boyfriend, Rob, were already registered. They had gotten fancy new bikes and hired a personal trainer.

So in March I dusted off the bike I hadn't ridden in 18 months, put air in the tires and signed up for the seventh annual event.

At orientation a few weeks later, AIDSRide team leader Tim Sheehan explained that we would spend four days riding from Norfolk to Washington. While the most direct route is only 193 miles long, we would take the scenic route--a more challenging 330 miles.

Sheehan told of a 38-year-old woman who signed up one year even though she had never ridden a bike in her life. She learned to ride and then completed the event.

"I guarantee you, if she can do it, you can," he told us. "You'd be surprised how much your enthusiasm and adrenaline will carry you."

A week later, I tested the theory on Lee Drive, a scenic path through Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.

My enthusiasm and adre-naline--along with Stephanie barking orders at me to pick up the pace--carried me nine whole miles before my lungs imploded.

That simply wasn't going to cut it. I needed stamina. I needed endurance. I needed something resembling calf muscles.

Over the next four months, I biked before work, after work and on the weekends, often with Free Lance-Star photographer Rhonda Vanover, who was also training for the ride.

I invested in padded cycling shorts, consumed large quantities of Gatorade and built up a tolerance for Power Bars, which taste a lot like cardboard, only not as good.

I also hit up all my friends and family members for donations so I could reach the $2,400 minimum required of all AIDSRiders.

By June 12, the day before the ride, I had amassed $2,417 for charity. My longest single ride was 30 miles--but it felt like 330. That had to count for something.

I vowed to keep a journal of the experience. I was most likely going to humiliate myself in front of hundreds of other cyclists. Who wouldn't want a permanent written record of that?

It is Thursday, June 13, at 6:30 a.m., and the bleary-eyed quartet--Stephanie, Rob, Rhonda and I--join 1,113 other cyclists at the Scope Arena in Norfolk for opening ceremonies.

We stretch, hydrate and fantasize about going back to bed before hopping on our bikes around 8:30.

Participants range from first-timers like the four of us to AIDSRide veterans in matching biking outfits with slogans like "Team BUTR--Bringing Up The Rear/Burning Up The Road."

The faster riders inevitably end up at the front of the pack. When one rider passes another, he calls out, "On your left," so the slower rider knows he's coming.

Not to brag or anything, but my left was an incredibly popular place to be throughout the AIDSRide.

Lead riders also shout warnings to the ones behind them about the road conditions, things like, "Bump!" or "Gravel!" or "Road kill!" Hitting a half-flattened possum at a downhill speed of 30 mph can really mess with your momentum.

Temperatures on this first day soar into the 90s. When it rains around lunchtime, it's a blessed event.

Another blessed event is when I lose the feeling in my rear end around mile 67.

A few miles later, my back tire slides on the wet pavement. Several strands of DNA from my right knee are now a permanent part of the Colonial Parkway near Williamsburg. The bruise on my left leg bears an uncanny resemblance to the Eastern Seaboard.

Fueled by a steady supply of bananas, bagels and peanut butter at the AIDSRide pit stops, the four of us press on, covering about 95 miles in 12 hours.

The spaghetti dinner in camp that night is surely the best any of us has ever tasted.

"GOOOOOOOD MOOOORNING CAMP!"

It is 5 a.m. A man in leather chaps bellows a wake-up greeting to the riders, still huddled in their rain-soaked tents at James City County Park.

Did I mention it's 5 in the morning? This man is dancing to techno music.

Meanwhile, I can't feel my fingertips. Apparently my death grip on the handlebars is taking a toll.

On the other hand, the feeling in my rear end has returned--with a vengeance.

I am not alone. Many of us ease into our chairs at breakfast and shuffle to our bikes rather than stride. Our tent city resembles a summer camp for arthritics.

At the medical tent, riders stock up on ibuprofen, muscle soreness creams and the ever-popular "butt balm"--it prevents chafing. Enough said.

I have never hated a bicycle seat more than this morning.

After four hours of plodding along the back roads of James City and New Kent counties, I pull into Pit Stop 2 about a half-hour after the cutoff time.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news for you," a crew member says to me. I fear they have run out of Gatorade.

"All riders arriving now have to take the 'sag bus,'" he says.

I wanted to hug him, but I was afraid I'd pull a muscle.

The sag wagon is a giant tour bus that picks up cyclists who are physically unable to finish the ride. Those, like me, who are moving too slowly also get sagged and taken to camp.

Some of the 50-plus riders on the sag wagon grumble about being there. We later hear about one rider who picked up his bike and ran from the bus, screaming, "If you want me, catch me!"

Rhonda and I aren't running anywhere. We're only too happy for the opportunity to nap.

"I am all about the sag wagon," Rhonda says.

At camp at the Fredericksburg Agricultural Fairgrounds, I sign up for a 15-minute massage. The massage therapists are hands-down the most popular people on the AIDSRide.

I nominate mine for sainthood.

The massage has restored some of the feeling in my hands. I will nullify that progress with an 80-mile ride today, 79 of it uphill.

Most people don't realize this, but recent NASA pictures taken from space confirm that the Fredericksburg region is one of the world's most mountainous. There is one particular hill on Lansdowne Road that makes Everest look like a sand pile.

The toughest riders zip to the top of each hill, get off their bikes and then cheer the rest of us slowpokes on.

"Come on! You can do it! You're tougher than this hill!"

Some of the more masochistic participants even ride back down the hill and then ride up again alongside a struggling cyclist, encouraging them the whole way. One clearly insane rider does this 17 times on one hill.

That kind of attention really encourages you to stay on your bike. I'm not above walking my bike up a steep hill, but I sure don't want any witnesses.

Camp tonight is at Forest Park High School in Woodbridge, and for the first time since Thursday, it's not raining.

The place resembles a laundry-room explosion. Cyclists have hung soggy bike shorts, sleeping bags, socks, underwear, pajamas and T-shirts on the fences surrounding the school's athletic fields, hoping they'll dry out.

The line for the hot showers is long tonight. It is well worth the wait.

Riders wake earlier than usual on the last day of the AIDSRide. No one wants to sag today, not with thousands of friends and family members lining the streets of D.C., cheering them in.

Most of my muscle soreness is gone, but my fingers are still pretty useless. I say a silent prayer that this journalism thing works out, what with my backup plan to be a world-champion knitter in certain jeopardy.

The weather is great, and the hills don't seem quite as bad today. (Note: The author's last statement does not necessarily represent the opinions of her knees, back, shoulders and buttocks.)

Around lunchtime, we cross the Key Bridge and take the Whitehurst Freeway, open only to cyclists, into the District.

Riders stop at several coffee shops on the route for sugar and caffeine fixes before crossing the finish line near the Washington Monument.

After everyone has gathered there, a victory lap around the National Mall is in order. We then settle in near a stage at the east end of the mall, closer to the Capitol.

A group of HIV-positive pedalers--there were several on this trip--ushers a riderless bike through the crowd toward the stage, in memory of those who can no longer ride with us.

In spite of the solemn moment, participants are determined to focus on the victories today, on the number of lives that will, they hope, be improved by their efforts.

All at once, 1,116 riders raise their bikes above their heads--I am afraid I'll ruin the moment by clocking someone if I attempt to lift mine, so it remains on the ground.

Later, several participants help me get my bike over my head for a photo.

I think I pulled a muscle."

This is GREAT!!!!!!!!

THE RIDE

Sunday 23 June 2002

One week ago I was busting my butt making sure I finished the AIDSRIDE 2002 on my wheels and not on a bus. It has taken me that long to sort through my emotions and thoughts to try to figure out what to write. Forgive my rambling and the blending of the days….even after two days, they all blended together.

This was, by far, the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I’m not quite sure why but I know why it wasn’t perhaps as much fun as I had hoped. I had to continually keep pushing in order to beat their time limits (we had to finish by 7 p.m., not by dark). That was very depressing. I barely had time to refill my water bottles and then get out of the pit stops. I had little to no time to socialize and that really is part of the entire event. So, it wasn’t that I could not “do” 100 miles in a day, but I had to be able to do it in their time frame. I don’t know if that makes any sense to people who weren’t on the ride but that was the pressure that was always there. And if I never ever see another hill on a bicycle that will be way too soon for me. I knew we hadn’t trained enough on hills but I guess I didn’t know how much more we should have trained on hills. Oh well, “live and learn” they say.

However, not only was it the hardest thing I’ve ever done, it was one of the most rewarding things as well. Both an internal reward and an external one. It was a sense of tremendous accomplishment and I met some really great people whom I would love to ride with again.

It’s amazing how when you think you’ve planned for everything, you really haven’t. The things I anticipated bothering me/hurting me didn’t and others cropped up. For instance, I figured I’d have a lot of trouble with numbness of my hands and really didn’t have any (until I had to change my seat position). I was sure my thumb was going to hurt quite a bit especially with the new shifting system but it must have been the tape job because it didn’t hurt at all. Then there’s the expected muscle aches, pains, soreness and inability to move…well, I didn’t have any of that either. So, I must have been in great shape right????? NOT! Not only did I have severe foot pain (what they call “hot spots”) that required either stopping or cruising while you hang your foot off the pedal shaking the pain and numbness out…over and over again, no matter how I adjusted my position..arghh…but the worst problem of all was the “chafing” to put it mildly. I still am having trouble. Between the rain, the chamois with seams and all the miles I developed such severe pain, abrasions and swelling I actually thought I was going to have to quit because of that. But, I got plenty of Balmex and anything else I could find and smeared it all over myself and my shorts trying to decrease the pain. Of course this kept me from drinking adequately (so that I wouldn’t have to go pee) but I was very lucky I did not get dehydrated.

We had a very emotional opening ceremony Thursday. And then ventured out to our bikes to begin our long trip from Norfolk, Va to Washington, D.C. Getting out of Norfolk was fun. On the first bridge I had enough trouble breathing that I almost had to stop but then did have to stop since my chain came off (I became an expert at that after this event). Over the bridge, I saw Ryan waiting for me and that was kind of fun. I think we rode to the first pit stop together and that was it for really riding together….we’d start out from the pit stop together and then he’d go off and use his power as I mosey’d along behind….all of which we had worked out so that it was ok with everyone. I would pull into the pit stops just about the time he and his buddies (who were great and wonderful supporters) were ready to pull out.

It was very hot (and I guess a degree of humidity too J ) Thursday…we found out how refreshing it is to have water poured over our heads and put ice in our bandanas around our neck. But later as we rode along really rural roads (which were great to ride on and very little traffic – spoiled us because the rest of the ride was not like that at all), the storm clouds came out and we got drenched. Then it was hot again, then rain, etc. We ended up with an hour “down” time because we had to take a ferry – by then it was getting dark and cold so that didn’t help our muscles at all. We were also very worried that they wouldn’t let us finish because it was getting late…I was very upset about that because we got started late (due to the opening ceremonies) and then had to wait for the ferry. But, we lucked out and were allowed to ride on. By the time we got off the ferry the rain started again and worsened the closer to Jamestown/Williamsburg we got. We ended up soaking wet riding into camp at about 9 pm. But we made the whole thing!!! Ryan had put up the tent and we went and ate then went to bed (the shower line was hours long).

Friday started out muggy from the rain the night before and we were tired after nearly no sleep…our tent faced downhill and we should have turned around…oh well. After breakfast I took off as soon as I could (about 6:50) trying to get a ahead start. I don’t remamber a lot about the first part of the day except that there were hills all day long. I didn’t see as much of Ryan and the guys that day though. It was hot once again til afternoon when the thunderstorms arrived but I kept plugging along..the major problems I had with the rain were: my glasses were not seeable and we had lots of “downhills” (which were always followed by blasted uphills) that to me were treacherous in the rain. I do remember finding Ryan later – he had had a spoke problem. But I was trying to spend as little time in the pit stops as possible..same with lunch. The last pit stop I was at was great…they had ice cream but it started pouring (kind of like the “heavy at times” they talk about) so we had to crouch under a closed building to try to keep dry and WARM (yes, it had suddenly gotten cold). They wouldn’t let us go for awhile because of the lightening..but after they did we kept going in the rain…one of the sweep crews stopped me and said that if I saw any lightening at all I should get in a ditch, not under a tree….i looked at the ditch next to the road and said “what if the ditch is under a tree”..they left without having any kind of answer “ J. I finally made it to the last pit stop where they stopped us all (Ryan was kind enough to wait for me – he could have taken the bus before and gotten warm)…camp was still about 7 miles away (that day’s mileage was going to be 106 miles) but it was after 7 pm and the police apparently had made them pull people off the road. But I was pretty happy I had made it about 98 miles, according to my odometer. So we got into camp about 8:30 that night. We found mud but our tent was set up by the boys. However, there was a note from them saying that the rain was too much and they had gone to check into a hotel, did we want to come. I just wanted to crash but told Ryan he could go. He was good though and we both stayed. We were pretty glad that they guys had gone tho because our tent was very very wet but we found two others that were pretty dry so we each had a dry tent. We were in Fredericksburg at this point (my home) so I was pretty happy but in major agony from aforementioned “chafing”. So, ice pack on my privates (gee you’d think I was in the Army) I tried to tend to the hot spots on my feet. We ate dinner with Jerald (who had NOT gone to the hotels) and he came back telling us it was raining again..arghhh..the weather person had just finished saying it wasn’t going to rain after nine p.m.- hmph so much for the weather reports. Plus, Jerald told us that there might be a delay in the a.m. because of fog. I was very worried about that because I certainly didn’t need any delays.

Saturday a.m. was like waking up in a swamp. I felt like dog doodoo and could not breathe hardly at all. Ryan gave me an Allegra..or was that the day before – I had trouble breathing then too but Saturday I really felt like the dickens. I didn’t even get up til late (for me) and waited for Ryan and the boys to go to breakfast. I was just getting ready to leave and push myself out the gate when the sky opened up to a major storm. So, all of us were delayed leaving. Well, that was my downfall. The first thing out of the gate was a major gigantic steep hill. I gave up early on that one and walked. Breathing is essential for doing hills. I didn’t have very much of that in me. Then later I stopped for 20 minutes to help these three folks, who didn’t bother to even say thank you..but did say “can I ask you something terrible? How old are you?” that made me feel really great as you can imagine. Then I found Ryan..he had had his spoke problem finally fixed. So we’re riding along and hear a “pop” – Ryan had his 2nd flat of the trip. That took us a while to change the tire. But we made it to the pit stop before it closed. Then we stopped at the CVS so I could try to get something for m y “chafing” After that, we found out we had to make heavy duty time to the next pit stop. I told Ryan to go ahead and warned him about the road ahead. As we went along I realized we were going to ride right by my house. I could not resist the urge to stop so stop I did..of course, I had to pick the lock to get in..that was a new skill I learned on this ride. But, I wasted too much time there (being last anyway) and by the time I came out there was a truck taking down the directional signs. I only knew one way to go and did but at the next stop sign I tried to call both Ryan and the emergency number for the ride (unfortunately that number was for the 3 Day walk and then they put me on hold). I lucked out tho, one of the staff members came by and told me how to go. To make a long story short, I ended up “sagged” that day because I wouldn’t make it to the next pit stop in time and they wouldn’t let me go from there. I was so disappointed and discouraged. I actually just wanted to go back to my house and cry. But, I eventually ended up in camp during daylight. We put up our tent and then looked around. It was beautiful and did not rain at all that night. It was even cold that night, making it somewhat difficult to sleep. When I woke up Sunday however, I felt better breathing wise than at any time during the ride. I got my bike ready and took off. I was “booking” – no one was going to sag me that day. I felt great but there were 50 miles to go (I thought it was 60 miles) – I pedaled and pedaled and pedaled…and there were hills, hills, hills and more hills!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I stopped at pit stop 1 to pee and then passed thru pitstop 2 trying to keep ahead of time. I made it up most of the hills but some I couldn’t do for one reason or another. But I was ok with that…many people were very supportive..and you know what..the major thing I realized on this event is that Jackie and Crystal (my Siberian huskies) do not care if I can’t ride up every hill or not!!! Not bad realization huh?

After I made it to the holding area and met up with the other guys we had fun talking and taking pix and waiting for everyone to come in. I talked to several interesting people, especially Marilyn, a woman I’d met at several pit stops. We exchanged emails and promised to keep in touch.

The closing ceremonies were very emotional. I’m so glad we got them on tape. Everyone lifting their bikes up in victory! Including me.

My bike was the best. I’m so glad I chanced it! The few things that need to be adjusted as with any new bike did not really affect me. It is the absolute best bike!!!!!!

So many thoughts and emotions had gone thru my head during this entire ride. I appreciated the support that every one of my friends had given me. And realized how hard I had trained and that now there would be a tremendous letdown – I had spent every weekend since late January riding/training…except the two weeks I smashed my ribs. And now, it would be no more. The sense of accomplishment felt great. But I had no one really to share it with. It’s kind of like the sensation I had last year when I finished the Avon 3-Day and wanted to call my mom..and then remembered that she was no longer alive. You want to share your accomplishment and joy with someone close to you and yet, there is no one. That is a let down as well as not having anything to aim for after the ride. And I think I was emotionally down too because of all the controversy around Pallota Teamworks and the fact that they wont be doing the AIDSRIDE next year..and therefore, who knows what it will be like?

I have enjoyed sharing all this with people as the weeks of training has gone by. You all have been a great part of my life since late Jan and I appreciate all the support, both financial and otherwise. You all are the greatest! Just remember that I DID IT!!!

Please read this email from an HIV Positive person who did the ride (they are called the Positive Pedalers). He wrote this email to the AIDSRIDE email list, thanking everyone for their participation. His words remind me why I went thru all of this and I hope it will bring home to you the good you did when you supported me as much as you did:

”I have been POZ [ HIV positive] for ten years and never thought that I would be here at 30 years old much less doing a ride I have seen so many people die from this disease and I have experienced the shame and loneliness that this disease causes as well as the physical challenges. Too many of my friends have passed alone and scared because of AIDS. I refuse to live like that.

I have used the services of both the clinic and food and Friends. Two years ago I was tipping the scales at a 135lbs and wasn't doing well. My meds had stopped working and I had developed other opportunistic infections that required meds that weren't covered by A.D.A.P and was not sure how I would get them much less how I would pay the rent or for food even if I had the funds to get them. I was able to get the meds through the clinic and I still was able to pay the rent and eat. These are the kinds of things your hard work makes possible for us with A.I.D.S. I am now on a regiment that is working for me and other than a little sunburn from the ride I am doing well. And as you know was out peddling through corn fields and rain with you all. So thanks for helping me stay alive and giving me the chance to not only reap the benefits of your tireless work, but also peddle beside you on the most exciting journey of my life so far!”

If you're interested in photos, follow this website http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/ermadness/lst?.dir=/DCAR7&.src=ph&.order=&.view=t&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/bc/ermadness/lst%3f.dir=/DCAR7


Love you all
Terrie