And just like that it's over...
WE DID IT!!!! What an amazing experience!!!! After a grueling 10 hours on the saddle over two days, crossing that finish line was nothing short of EPIC! I don't even know where to start to wrap up this journey... but I can say with certainty that it is not over! Because I just registered for the 2013 ride!!! :)
This weekend had definitely tested my physical and mental limits. There were many moments when I was just ready to get off my bike and get picked up by one of the sweep cars. A few times throughout the ride, I pulled off the road and started to do some yoga. Pigeon pose, toe pose and rag doll were my saviors. But something bigger just kept me going. I had to finish it. I couldn't stop because of the small amount of pain I was feeling. It all went back to why I started this journey in the first place. My grandmother. The temporary pain that I was experiencing pales in comparison to what she is feeling every single day. Cancer doesn't stop. This is the Ride to Conquer Cancer. So we CANNOT stop until it is stopped. My participation in this ride might not save my grandmother... but one day it might save another grandmother. If what it takes is pedaling 250kms, I will gladly with honor do it over and over again. It is the least that I can do. This was easy, battling cancer is not.
I can't even begin to explain to you how humbling it is to be riding alongside of cancer survivors and cancer patients (identified with their yellow flags). Such inspiration. Such strength. The motivation that you get from your fellow riders is a driving force not to be reckoned with. Strength in numbers, indeed. Every rider is identified with two name tags, one being under your seat facing the back. On numerous occasions, riders would pass with words of encouragement. "Great job Chrisy", "Lâches pas Chrisy". Thank you for your support throughout the ride.
I couldn't have accomplished this without the support of family, friends and loved ones. I received a tremendous amount of moral, emotional and financial support since I decided to embark on this journey. My parents were a huge support system for me throughout. Harassing me about my training updates, ensuring that I was eating properly, sleeping enough. And for being my ride back from Quebec City :) Seeing their faces and giving them high fives while crossing the finish line was an incredible feeling. I am extremely lucky to be blessed with such incredible and supportive parents. I wouldn't be half the woman I am today if it weren't for them. Mommy & Daddy - Thank you for everything that you have done for and continuously supporting me in all the crazy endeavours that I choose to embark on. I love you both so so much.
My friends and family have also been extremely generous with their support. Attending our fundraising events, kicking my ass when I slacked in my training, donating to the cause. Thank you all for making this road a little smoother. Your words of encouragement and support throughout this journey motivated me to go on. Each and every single one of you are inspirational. Thank you for being a part of my life. I am so grateful for your love. Much love and hugs to you all.
To our sponsors: Compu4Less, HappyTree Yoga, Olympe and GameZone. Thank you for helping us with our fundraising events and generous donations. Un gros merci!
And of course my fellow "Glutton". Charlene, thank you blindly agreeing to doing this with me. You had no idea what you had signed up for, so I thank you for the trust that you have in me. What a crazy f*&ken ride dude! But we did it! Neither of us are too mushy-mushy so you know what I'm trying to say. You rock!
And last but not least. Malcolm was a super star this weekend. I couldn't have asked for a better partner. He complained a little and made some funny noises but he was AWESOME! hahaha!
A recap of the weekend.
Day 1:
The day didn't start off so well. My parents were picking me up at 5:30 to go to Repentigny and when my alarm went off at 4:30 I was clueless. I woke up to my mother calling me to tell me they were downstairs. I scrambled to get all my gear together which thankfully I had already packed and grabbed the remainder of my stuff and ran out the door. We were in the car, when I realized that it was raining and I didn't have any of my rain gear with me so back to my apartment we went. Finally after a pit stop at Tim Horton's (shhhhhhhh don't tell my boss) we were off to Repentigny for the start line.
We met up with Char and her family at the site and being with two Asian fathers patiently waited while they furiously clicked away at their cameras. They could be paparazzi if they had better camera skills... and discretion. Hahaha. While waiting for the ride to start, Char and I had a few exchanges where the main gist was "what the f*&k were we thinking!!!". I guess it's too late to turn back now!
And 3-2-1... GO! (Since when did the Ride become Crossfit???)
Off we went to start the long 250km journey to Quebec City. The roads were great. Not too bumpy at all. I was fueled by adrenaline and it didn't seem very long before we were at pit stop #1 (29km). We decided to just keep going until the next stop (at 62km). We stopped for about 15 minutes and had some bagels, oranges and gatorade. Just enough to tide us over until lunch (@80km). I rolled into lunch about 45 min later and waited for Char before grabbing some food. After about 30 minutes, I was starting to get worried. And that's when I saw her limping towards me. Uh oh! Her quads are seized on her during the last haul and had to get medic'ed to the stop :( We grabbed some lunch and thankfully she felt ok to continue. Unfortunately I didn't see her again until I got to camp. After lunch until the end I was pretty riding alone the entire time. I would at some points ride with a pack just to catch a break, but then move on due to the slower pace. When I turned the final corner to get into camp there were my parents waving! What a sight for sore eyes! I definitely needed to see them! Once I got into camp, I hung around the entrance for about an hour waiting for Char but didn't see her. So I went to get my bag so I could get my feet into some flip flops! When I dropped my bag into the tent, I saw Char's bag there so I knew she was at camp. But I still couldn't find her!! So I decided to go do a yoga session to stretch out. While in bow post, my quads seized. I literally had to grab hold of my calves and pull my legs away from my body. Not the greatest feeling in the world. But nothing yoga can't fix :) While in pigeon, I got a text from Char :) So à propos! My parents left shortly after that and after a quick shower, Char and I grabbed some grub. At around 7:30 when we were finished eating we were both ready to hit the sack. We lasted until about 8:30 and then it was lights out for us. The camp was so alive with live music and dancing... but all I wanted was to curl up in my sleeping bag. I was pooped! Bonne nuit!
Day 2:
I woke up the next morning with my back on fire. Hello sunburn! Lesson learned: Do not wear a tank top cycling. Even if it is made for cycling! Aiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa (see picture below). But I woke up feeling well rested, not too sore (aside from the burn) and ready to hit the final stretch to Quebec City. Since Char was still not feeling great with her quads and was going to take it slow, we decided to meet up at the finish line. So solo riding it was. The first 50km of the day was a breeze and arrived at pit stop #2 after about 2 hours. Sent my mom a text "50km done. 80 to go...". I knew that the hardest part of the route was coming up near the end of the trip but I was taking it one pit stop at a time. Just before I hit the lunch stop (at 74km), the battery on my GPS died. So not only did I have no idea how far I had gone, I also no longer knew what speed I was riding at. This definitely had an impact on me mentally because I could no longer count down the kilometers until the end. The Ride had put up kilometer markers, but they seemed really far apart (although they were exactly 5km apart from each other). It's just funny how the mind plays tricks with you. Even though I knew I was more than halfway done, after lunch was when I mentally hit a wall. Physically I was dealing with cramping groin and calf muscles and hands and wrists that felt like they were going to fall off. I had to stop a few times to stretch at the side of the road. It was also around this time that I became intimate with the concept of chafing. Every push of the pedal was excruciating in areas that shouldn't feel that kind of pain (if you know what I mean....). Getting to pit stop #3 (at 103km) was challenging, but I knew that the hardest part was yet to come. We were in the middle of the hilly parts. I had gotten through the first 3 but after speaking to other riders (with past experience) the bad ones were in the next 5km. They weren't kidding. I had trained for distance. I hadn't trained for ascents. And it showed. In the final ascent with about 20m to go, I had to get off my bike and walk the rest. It was either that or roll backwards. I opted for walking. There was a photographer there taking pictures of everyone struggling to get up that hill. So I smiled and gave him a thumbs up. He clicked a few pictures then said "Don't worry, I took it from the waist up. No one will know". Hahaha. That's ok. I'm not ashamed of it. Now I know what I need to work on. Nearing the end, I was functioning solely on auto-pilot. I was chanting "1-2-1-2-1-2...." over and over in my head willing my legs to keep going. At one point, I passed a cheering crowd and they shouted "Only 6kms to go". And that's when I started to cry. I was almost finished. Almost there. I also wanted to give up. I was done. Physically, mentally spent. I had the internal battle with myself for about 20 pushes of the pedal and then I got punched in the face with pride and will. "You have 6 f*&ken kms to go. Stop being a pussy and pedal". So I did. And a few minutes later I got to the finish line. Riding through the end zone, they announced my name at the same moment that I saw my parents... What a feeling. I was done. I did it. What a feeling. So I had another banana. Hahahaha. Yes, many a bananas were consumed in these two days. I had actually done it. I biked to Quebec City. Whoa!!! I anxiously waited for Char to cross and was starting to get really nervous. But around 4:30 there she was!!! What a champ riding with her injuries! Amazing! I ran (well sort of... my legs were no longer functioning properly) to the finish line to high five her (which ultimately was a huge fail because the momentum basically caused me to crash into her)! Dude... we f&*ken did it! We made it to Quebec City... ON OUR BIKES!!!! YEAH!
And finally, here's a photo recap of the weekend:
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| Malcolm is all decked out and ready to go! |
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| Ready to rock and roll! |
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| The mandatory "Cree and Char" self portrait :) |
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| We didn't coordinate our outfits!!! |
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| With my parents at the start line. xoxo |
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| Gluttons for the Cure ready to roll! |
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| Day 1 - At pit stop #2 |
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| All fueled up and ready to go! |
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| Day 1 - At camp. Really??? A climbing wall? Not surprised there are not too many people on it! |
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| Tent City |
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| Bike parking! Don't forget your section! |
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| Day 2 - Well rested and ready to hit the road for the final 130km. |
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| Somewhere in Donnaconna |
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| I did it!!!!! Wooohooo!!! |
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| Eating yet ANOTHER banana! |
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| Me and my mommy at the finish line. |
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| Char at the finish line!!! You rock! |
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| Dude! We did it!!! |
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| Post-ride meal at Chez Ashton. Sadly I was only able to eat a few bites of this deliciousness. |
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| My 2 new best friends. |
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| Lesson learned: This is why you don't bike with a tank top and the reason why it took me two months to find a biking tank top jersey. |
The past few months have as I predicted included many "falls, scrapes, bruises, FML moments, "what the hell was I thinking" moments and lots of accomplishments, "I rock" moments and triumphs". There were numerous times when I didn't think I could do it. Many moments of panic and tears. Thank you all for your support and encouragement. I couldn't have done it without you all. This marks the end of this road, but all roads lead to another. So stay tuned for more adventures.
Much love and cuddly hugs,
Chrisy
xoxoxoxox
