Email this article
I Did It!
I Rode The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic!
I never knew how close Silverton and Durango were. Fifty miles. Fifty miles I can bike in about four and a half hours. Fifty miles that, surprisingly, require more mental stamina than physical endurance.
It took me longer than I hoped to finish the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic on May 26 but I knocked off one of three goals I set for myself. Having never formally road biked, the tour intimidated me. My first mission was to finish. As I started to get a few miles under my tires, I decided I might be able to complete the ride in four hours. After I road from Needles to Coal Bank Pass with a very athletic friend in less than an hour, a three-and-a-half-hour ride started to seem possible.
Oh, how little did I know.
Time became irrelevant that sunny Saturday. The 2,500 riders who participated in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic had unusually good weather - rain and sometimes snow or sleet on the course have worried many a cyclist, and ranked among my top fears. Only crashing on pavement and the accompanying road rash scared me more.
That morning, I rode through the Animas Valley cautiously, fearful I might expend too much energy too soon. I ate a Chunk of Energy, a sort of square-inch granola bite, every 20 minutes. When the climbing began, I tried never to push myself too hard for fear I might burn out. And as I crested Coal Bank Pass and later Molas Pass, I felt tears of amazement well up because I could do it. Because I was doing it. Because I could finish the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic.
I never let myself cry but kept pedaling instead. I admit to riding my breaks heavily on the downhill and probably 50 riders sped past me, yelling, "On the left!" Hitting the level ground of Silverton, I sprinted to catch as many as I could and as I crossed the finish line, my friends who would shuttle me back to Durango cheered.
It was over. Mission accomplished. Six months of training were laid to rest.
A crust of salt ringed my face, and though I was tired, I was surprised I still had energy. But more surprising was that, with the ride done, I remained no different than the person who nervously pedaled out of downtown Durango more than four hours earlier. My friends and I stepped into Romero's for celebratory margaritas (the healthiest thing to do after nearly five hours of cycling) and no one knew me or the goal I accomplished.
That feeling has stayed with me ever since - that riding the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic has not made me a new or different person. But at moments where I feel like giving up, at work or some athletic activity or anything, I reflect back and think, "Come on. You rode the Iron Horse. Quit your whining."
My biggest challenge was to maintain discipline after the indoor cycling classes I participated in ended. The six-month class began with regularly scheduled Spin classes until April, and when they moved outdoors, it became easier to skip them and assure myself I would make it up later on my own. Sometimes I rode and sometimes I traded rides for other, equally exciting weekend activities.
My truancy may have contributed to a slower ride, but on the passes, I found I needed something other than fitness to keep going. I experienced moments where I felt my mind slip into a mode that said, "Maybe you should stop. Maybe your legs are too tired. Maybe this is too much."
I never completed those thoughts but I felt them coming, and when I did, I forced myself to recite a mantra or count the beats to the songs to which I listened. One, two, three, four. One and, two and, three and, four and. And I kept going, kept spinning, never breaking except to refill my water bottles at rest stops.
If nothing else, this experience has given me confidence in all aspects of my life. I watched all kinds of cyclists finish the Iron Horse - skinny, overweight, fit, out-of-shape, young and old. I now know any goal I set can be reached. Maybe I won't do it as quickly as I would like or the first time I try or exactly how I planned, but with persistence, I can reach it.
So, if you've ever thought, "Maybe I should ride the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic," rest assured. You can.
When Lisa Meerts-Brandsma is not learning new sports, she works as a journalist and also teaches horseback riding.
Post a comment
www.insideoutsidemag.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post.
Read our full policy.