Yup, I got crispified last weekend. I underestimated how much I sweat during the ride and I actually forgot to put sunscreen on my legs so now I have nice tan line where my 3/4 length knicks ended below my knee.
The ride itself was… I want to say awesome (because it was) but it felt like more than that to me. I’ve been struggling a bit lately and to actually cross the finish line with my brother and his girlfriend cheering me on was one of the most satisfying and uplifting experiences I’ve had this year. I really felt like I’d achieved something. I’ve done something I thought I never could – although I’m not sure where that thought came from.
I spent some time riding with people and some time riding alone. While I was alone, I thought about how good it felt to be out on my bike. The sun was shining, there were loads of birds tweeting and singing and I could hear the hum of bike tyres on the road. When I was riding with other people, it kinda felt like when I’ve been to America. I was with people who share my passion so I’m free to blather on about riding and not have people look at me funny. We really are a tribe and I do believe there’s a strong separation between those who ride and those who don’t. And you know, I kinda feel sorry for those who don’t. They have no idea what they’re missing out on 😉
It wasn’t easy though. Dealing with nasty cross and head winds for half of the ride was a pain in the arse and it’s been awhile since I’ve had to slog it out like that. It was hard work but like most hard work, it was satisfying in a strange way.
But the reason I’m sunburnt is because Sunday was race day and my brother was competing. We headed down to the start line to see him off and then decided to drive out to Dookie to cheer him on. It was amazing to see a road race like that. Dad has extensive knowledge of the back roads in the area so we managed to catch the race and get past them on a set of awesome S bends. The first group came through and they were flying. The hum of their tyres on the road was incredible and I have to admit it was exciting. My brother was in the stragglers but still fighting the good fight in horrible cross winds. He looked so pleased and embarrassed to see us standing by the side of the road. So we did it two more times. Like I said, my dad has extensive knowledge of the back roads in the area.
I’m really proud of my brother’s achievements. He didn’t win the race but I think he’s a winner for actually completing the course. It was pretty hot and the winds had kicked up again so it would’ve been such hard going. When the SAG wagon went past us, it was full so apparently quite a few of the cyclists found the going too hard or had mechanical failures. What really got me was that my brother went out there with no spare gear and trusted the tyres he had on his bike would see him through.
However, I was foolish and didn’t put on enough sunscreen so I ended up cooking the backs of my legs with all the standing around in full sunlight. It was really painful in my knee creases but it is my own fault. It’s kinda itchy now which means it’s getting better I suppose.