The Tour

It's time for me to gloat a little, so here goes:

On Sunday I took part in the Edmonton Bike and touring club's Tour de l'Alberta. A Cycling event in two versions, and I took part in the shorter 100Km ride, not the more pressing 160Km.

Early in the morning the riders started to gather in St. Albert. Never having been to one before, I didn't know what to expect so I got there early. It was a sea of carbon fiber, titanium, and lycra. I was starting to feel a little intimidated but I saw no reason to back out at this point. Besides, "it's not a race." By 8:30am it was already pushing 20C and gave no sign that it was going to stop. The trumpet sounded, they fired the starting pistol, and we were off.

Most of my time this year has been riding by myself. I have had no way to gauge how I've been doing. This took me for a surprise. The pace line out of St. Albert was amazing. Sitting in a group of riders, feeling like we were on a casual Sunday ride, I looked down at my speedometer to find we were cruising at 36 kmh, and had been for some time. The casual ride just turned into a freight train. For those who haven't rode in a while, it's hard to explain, you'll just have to trust me, that that's fast when you are wheel to wheel in a big group of people. I suddenly have a heap more respect for the guys who ride in the Tour d' France who ride faster, longer and closer for days on end. It's as much mental as it is physical.

The day kept on like this. And except for a long stretch I did between Legal and Mornville by myself, because I decided not to stick around for a long lunch break, I was in groups the whole way in. A nice change, to ride with other people.

Going into the ride, I was hoping for about 4 to 4 1/2 hours on the bike, and add 1/2 total for the planned breaks, to give a total of 4 1/2 to 5 hours. I knew on the last 20Km I was making good time, but I hadn't paid that close of attention to know just how good. So when I came around the corner to see the timer just pass 4 hours, I wasn't sure what to think. When I finally got off the bike, I didn't know if I should laugh, cry, or puke. (It was an even split, but for a few seconds puke looked like it was taking a lead, only to beaten out by laugh at the last second.)

The numbers from my timer are 102Km in 3:41:30. I don't have my official time just yet, but I'm sure it's about 4:03.

My legs still hurt, and I'm still thirsty, but it was worth it. And next year, I'll try the 160Km.