The Climate Ride Chronicles: Soaking it all in

Hello Everyone!

I have returned from the epic bike adventure and am still soaking it all in. This trip was honestly one of the coolest trips I have ever done and I have returned from the voyage refreshed, recharged and rejuvenated...pretty good for biking 300 miles!

Nearly 200 riders took this journey together, and despite the large crowd, things felt well organized and supported. The luggage was organized by last name, our bikes were tagged with our names and stored safely each night, we had loads of food and water throughout the day, bike mechanics were available all day long and the support crews were along the route encouraging us with good tunes, cheers and cow bells. We were entertained and educated each evening by various speakers who were also riding on the ride, so once we knew who each person was, we got to chat with them during the day too. Ben Sollee, an excellent cellist was also along for the trip and graced us with his lovely music!

We cruised along diverse terrain ranging from not-so-pretty highways, to Amish country in Pennsylvania, wound along creeks and forests and had plenty of stops at bakeries and ice-cream shops. We also found a few hills, of course, particularly on day four. The photographer had a pesky habit of parking at the top of hills and capturing our sweaty selves puffing up the hills. Stay tuned for these sweaty delights and others! I'll be able to purchase a DVD of the whole trip, including our charge on the capital, and will post them as soon as I can.

I met people who were passionate about having healthy communities and felt like I found "my people". Instead of feeling like the black sheep when I talk about compost, recycling or some other "crazy hippy" idea, folks are simply nodding in agreement. Awesome.

The days were challenging but doable! I felt well trained and able to complete the miles each day. I needed a few days off to let my legs (and tush) recover, but I'm ready to get back on the road again. And after an epic amount of laundry, my spandex collection is ready too!

The final day was nearly all downhill; we were all so excited for the trip, that it was nearly over and that we were so close to out goal! We flew in a huge pack to the national mall. Energy was high and we peddled hard. At one point near the end, I was on a quiet stretch of the bike trail and it hit me that this was almost over and I choked up. This has been so magical and I was just filled to the brim with gratitude.

When I came back, I was told that I look happier than I have in a long time. That is how I feel, so it must be seeping out my pores! I am happy and hopeful for this summer. Time (mostly) off is going to be good for my spirit.

Thank you so much for all of your support that allowed me to embark on, and complete, this incredible journey. Your generosity helped me reach my fundraising goal, and your love, hugs, texts, messages and temporary tattoos helps me peddle all the way home!

Humbly yours,

Holly

The Climate Ride Chronicles: Greetings from the big apple!

Hello! I am so excited that I am here in New York and that my trip is
about to begin! I was bouncing around the house this morning as my
dear roomies were getting ready for work...I had enough energy for
everyone! Even two mild ear infections can't keep me down (I know,
crappy timing, right?). I am on strong decongestants to help my ears
drain, and I started antibiotics. I think I'll be just fine. And per
Corey's recs, I have cotton balls to put in my ears to keep the wind
off them.

I had an easy bus ride up mid-day with barely any traffic. The weather
here is beautiful and I have been catching up with my friend James
this afternoon.

The adventure begins Saturday morning and I am buzzing with
excitement! I did my last training ride on Saturday and did nearly 70
miles. The best part? It felt easy! What an ego boost. I feel really
ready to go kick this ride's butt! This week I have stopped biking to
let my body rest and recover in prep for Saturday morning. I have not
stopped eating cookies :) I had a burrito dinner in DC last night and
finished packing last night and this morning. I haven't thought of
anything that I have forgotten yet and I hope it stays that way.
Gloria, Miss Independent, is coming to NY tomorrow with a great guy
who rented a moving truck and is taking several bikes up. It was so
much easier to get here without having to worry about the bike too!

Tomorrow night we have a meet and greet at the fire house that is our
home base in NY; the bikes are dropped off, we meet the press and the
other riders and we pick up our info packets and jerseys. On the first
and last days of the trip, we all wear matching jerseys so we look
like quite the impressive mob. On Saturday morning, we meet back at
the same place between 8 and 9 in the morning, hear a safety talk and
then start peddling at 9:30. Saturday is the shortest day; 45 miles.
The remaining four days are between 60 and 70 miles each. We will be
well fed and watered!

I didn't bring a laptop, so I am not sure yet how often I'll be able
to email from the road, but I do intend to do regular updates and
pictures on facebook because I can do that easily from my phone. If I
make friends with someone with a laptop, I'll try to send email
updates too.

Thank you very much for all of the support and well wishes, and thank
you so much for all of the donations that have allowed me to join in
on this epic trip!

I am looking forward to a safe and wonderful ride,

Holly (and Gloria!)

The Climate Ride Chronicles: Funny noises, forts and french toast!

Wow has it been a crazy two weeks! I have had some incredible training rides, some really dreary ones in the rain and I've been collecting gear. I've also made huge progress with the fundraising; I'm almost there! I am so honored to have the network of friends and family that I do. I am able to do this adventure because of YOU. Thank you!

The weather has been all over the place and so I've prioritized biking whenever I can to try to catch any good weather. I've also ridden in the crappy weather. A few weeks ago was the first time I had gone 50 miles. The next week I had Thursday off from work and I went on the W&OD trail and did 46.5 miles. (By the way, this is one Rails to Trails trail, built by one of the Climate Ride beneficiaries). The day was beautiful, my body was feeling good, and you know what? It wasn't actually that difficult! I am no speed demon, but I could have ridden for a lot more miles. The only reason I turned around was because I had to be home for the dryer repair guy to come to the house. Having a trip of nearly 50 miles be easy? What an esteem boost!

Just a quick Thursday jaunt :)

The following weekend brought rain. Lots of rain. On Saturday it was mostly just gray and gloomy. It matched my mood. I kicked off towards Georgetown and intended to go towards the Capital Crescent trail...but Gloria has other things on her mind. Mostly she insisted on making a funny noise after a stop when I peddled the first peddle stroke. What are you saying?? I don't understand what you want!! The noise didn't let up. I had considered calling Corey to be rescued or to ask for his advice, but I figured I should save that phone call for when it involved blood.  And so, I stopped at a bike shop in Georgetown. There was a guy in the store, but he said that the mechanic wouldn't be there for another 45 minutes. Apparently bike mechanics aren't morning people. I knew of two other shops near by and asked the guy if he knew when they opened and he made some smart-mouth comment about it not being their store. Duh. Apparently the guy who opens the shop isn't a morning person either. I walked Gloria to the other shop and sure enough, the mechanic didn't arrive until 10 either. Luckily this opening person was very nice and was happy to hold onto my bike until the mechanic arrived. I walked down the street, feeling like an idiot in my bike gear and went to the bakery and entertained myself with a chocolate croissant. Silver lining? Yes please!

When the mechanic arrived, he thought it might be my breaks rubbing the tires, but fiddling with those didn't have the noise let up. He suggested checking the bike in. "What does that mean", I asked. "We take a closer look at it and try to figure out what is making the noise...you'll probably get it back Monday". MONDAY!?!? I have training! I tried not to panic...the training schedule said that I was supposed to have completed a 60 mile ride two weeks ago and I hadn't yet done it once...and to not be able to train this weekend?? Eek! I said it wasn't really possible to leave my bike, could they check that my bike was safe to ride? He gave the bike a once over, and as an after thought, sprayed some lube on a rubber gasket where my peddle attached to the bike frame. Et voila! Noise was gone! Lucky that was a simple thing :)

I peddled on the capital crescent trail and then hopped on MacArthur Boulevard for a long while and got a kick out of how many cyclists were out. When the big groups of cyclists whiz by, I can only assume that my face is that of a jealous seven year old wishing she were cool like the "big kids". They go so fast!  Total for the day? 41 miles...not bad for a late start.

Sunday it rained. Corey was supposed to ride with me but SOMEBODY wasn't excited about riding in the rain. Who can blame 'em? I gave myself a pep talk, something about kicking butt and taking names and kicked off. I wore these yellow wood-shop glasses to keep the rain out of my eyes and was glad to have them. At first it just drizzled, but as the miles wore on the rain came down much harder. What started out as busy streets with lots of brave cyclists quickly thinned out. Quickly, one became the loneliest number. At about mile 18 I remembered that I had found some shoe covers on sale at a sport store...they were supposed to keep your feet warm and dry. They were currently keeping my bedroom floor warm. Damn. I had really wanted to go 60 miles, but I just didn't have it in me to keep peddling in that misery. When I got back, I got in the tub, but even that was kind of painful as my limbs got the blood flowing again. When I was officially non-hypothermic, I layered on the sweats, puffy vest and wool socks and put on the kettle for tea. I sent Corey text to tell him how much it had sucked. He replied "Rain and being soaked is just something you have to experience. Remember cycling + suffering = building character! You are progressing well. Warm up for tomorrow night". Aww coach! I replied with a picture of my feet in wool socks.

Thank you Sarah for this super Christmas present :)

During the week, I rode when I can, but my heart wasn't in it so much. I had found out on Friday that I was laid off from my job. A big surprise, but as my friend Roger would say; "it is what it is". This situation has opened up a Pandora's box of questions...what do I want to do next? Do I want to stay in DC? Where do I think I would be happiest? All of this thinking and uncertainty has had my emotions on a huge roller coaster. Feeling my feelings has left me with whiplash. It has also left me with a sub-zero level of patience. Unless I'm hungry, I am usually able to put up with an above average level of crazy, but lately the slightest thing has me over the edge.

This past weekend I did a whole lot better on my training. On Saturday, I rode south through the city towards the greenbelt metro station and found two forts. I am no history buff so I don't actually know what their historical significance is, but it was fun to visit. Some of the trails were under construction in parts, so Gloria got to pretend she was a mountain bike for a bit. On the way back, somewhere around mile 50, I came across a Dunkin Doughnut. Like a moth to the flame, I rode ride over and got one. It was a much happier last few miles :)  I was determined to crack 60 miles, but by the time I got near my house I was at 57 or so...and so I circled my neighborhood several times until I did it. 60 miles!!!!

Looking good, Gloria!

I think this is Fort Washington

I got cleaned up. By now, I practically have my bike shorts trained to walk themselves to the washer. They jump in, I add the soap and they're clean for the next day. I had a roomie date with my roommate Mike; he made some delicious tacos and then we attached my computer to the TV to watch a movie. I asked for a comedy, and we picked out Everything Must Go because it starred Will Ferrell. Cripes; it wasn't a comedy at all! It perhaps would have hit too close to home, as it is about a guy who's life is falling apart, but luckily I was out cold on the couch within the first 37 seconds of the movie. I hope I didn't drool on the couch. Sorry Mike!

Sunday Corey and I struck out for Poolesville. It was a gorgeous day and I had obviously gotten a good nights sleep, so I was feeling good! The first 20 or so miles breezed by but I was starting to get a bit tuckered as we got near mile 25. The plan was to stop for lunch in Poolesville. Since that is how the actual trip is going to go, I wanted to make sure I wouldn't puke if I had a proper meal and then rode for another chunk of miles. I had the route on paper but one of the directions weren't really clear. We pulled over and to consults with our fancy phones and meanwhile a biker lady rolled up to the stop sign too. We made chit chat and she asked where we were headed. We explained we were nearly to Poolesville and then were going to head back to DC. She asked how long it would take us to go back to DC. "About an hour? An hour and a half?" I tried to not have my eyeballs fall out of their sockets while Corey carefully explained that we weren't trucking along "quite that fast". Like about half that fast. After we parted ways, I asked if it was even possible for a human being to go that fast. "Can Lance friggin-Armstrong go 30 miles an hour?!?!" Apparently he can. I thanked Corey for not spilling the beans that I'm apparently a turtle biker. Cripes.

We stopped for lunch in Poolesville and I was thrilled to find a place that was still serving brunch. French toast with syrup!! I hoovered up the simple carbs and then we were on the road again! Somehow it was much easier to peddle back with the power of syrup. I was keeping an eye on my bike computer and noticed that the average MPH was slowly climbing up. It turns out that nearly the entire way to Poolesville was uphill. No wonder I was getting tired towards the half-way point! Total miles for the day? 69.3! What a great training weekend!

I am so excited that the trip is just about two weeks away! I think that I'm ready :) I have a few more things here and there to buy, and I'll cover a bunch of miles this weekend, but overall? I'm excited!

Stay tuned!


-Holly






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My Climate Ride: http://tiny.cc/obbjn