Hypo thermic ride.
I went on the Ride for Heart yesterday. I was kind of not planning to go as there was not a lot of incentive for me to take part, but since we had a couple of neophytes who wanted to try this year, I decided the week before to raise the requisite funds to participate.
Long range weather forecasts predicted rain during the weekend, with Sinday morning smack dab in the middle of the rain grouping. It was looking quite likely that the ride was going to be a wet one. As the day approached, it looked more likely to be wet and cool, with temperatures in the low-mid teens and moderate to light winds. This combination was the same as two years prior where the ride was so wet and cold I never felt warm during the ride, and I had to keep moving to prevent my body from falling into a state of hypothermia.
Well, on top of all of this weather, I decided to ride down to the starting line from my place instead of driving or taking transit. The former was cumbersome and not any faster, while the latter was very much slower. So despite the rain, I headed out and met it face first. The ride over was miserable, but as I approached the parking lot rally point, I felt a lot better as my body had started heating up from the exertion. AO showed up at the same time I did, right on time. The two neophytes wanted to start earlier, and I only found out about that the night before, so I figured that there was no point waiting for them. The last person in our group was HP and I didn't get a call from him until ten minutes after the meet time and it was to inform us that he was having breakfast at the Enercare Centre. The reason why was because he had just reached the $1000 fund raising mark and was a VIP rider! Free breakfast! Good for him! By then I had gotten cold and suggested that AO and I wait under the Dufferin bridge while we waited for HP. Well, we for ten minutes under the bridge, and I got even colder. AO decided to march on ahead as he was generally slower and wanted to finish up earlier so I stuck around and waited for HP. He showed up ten minutes later. Now my muscles were completely cold and I was feeling quite chilled. No matter, with enough exertion I figured that I could warm myself up so I set up a brisk enough pace to keep warm. After ten minutes HP told me to go on ahead as he could not keep up at that pace so I forged on.
In my mind I was planning on doing 25 km and to head straight home for a long hot shower and a nice long nap. The weather was bad enough to make me want to cut the whole thing short and call it a day. Actually the weather was bad enough to make me want to completely skip the entire event and stay at home under the covers, but I had already gotten pledges from a few people and..
So as I approached the 25 km turnaround point I felt not so bad. I also asked myself whether I would regret not trying the 50 more or suffering the extra 25 km knowing that I still had to bike home. Not known to being a non-glutton, I forged on ahead. It was a long and painful ride. My left quad started acting up on the southbound ride up the hill to the Eglinton ramps and I started to rely on my right leg more. I was okay on the straights, slight inclines and downhills, but the moment I needed strength, I could feel my left quad wanting to go into spasams. I knew that I should have had more bananas for breakfast (I had one) but I honestly was not hungry at all. I could have stopped to pick one up from a station, but I also knew that if I stopped, I would probably instantly go cold, so I forged ahead.
On the return trip up the ramp from Bayview to the intermediate ramp to the DVP (just before the station) I was trying to stay ahead of the two buses (used for injured riders) when I lifted my left hand off the handle bar and over shot the handlebar when I put it back down. Down I went. Fortunately I was going slow as I was working uphill and was actually riding pretty slow at that time so I mainly suffered from some contusions and abrasions. My right knee got the worst of it. I was immediately asked by other riders if I needed help, and then from the driver of one of the buses. I was so tempted to take a ride back on the yellow bus, but I figured that I got this far, I can make it the last quarter on on my own and declined offers of help.
By the time I reached the ramp from the DVP to the Gardener my left quad was so wonky I was relying nearly solely on my right leg and I started my right quad start quivering from the effort. I think the combination of the cold and exertion was priming my legs to go into free spasm the moment I really needed a burst of power. I eased up on the throttle and slowed down even more.
On the final stretch of the ride back to the starting line I came up behind a rider who was playing loud music. Holy crap, it was HP! He had attached a radio to his bike and was wearing a helmet with long flowing hair so he was really easy to spot. How the heck did he get past me? I caught up with him and he was telling me how he was taking it easy and stopped here, and there. I was just amazed that he was able to get so far just "taking it easy". After we were chatting for several minutes I told him how I made the choice at the 25 km turnaround not continue ahead to do the 50 km, and he told me that he only did 25 km. What. No wonder why I ended up catching up with him! He never passed me, he just took the shorter route! Pride saved! Still this ride ended up being the longest ride that I remember.
After we got back, I started feeling extra chilled and HP sneaked me into the VIP area where they served hot foods, tea and coffee. The hot drinks and warm food helped with my condition and I had not brought an extra set of dry clothes (I was planning to go straight back home) and the air conditioning in the building was hot helping matter. I started shaking violently and uncontrollably soon after I sat down and it was only after downing a couple cups of hot tea and a large warm meal that I started to feel semi-warm again. Hypothermia averted!
AO also finished while we were eating and HP was able to get him in as well. I wanted to lay low and not bring any attention to us, but it looked like the volunteers did not care too much about our trespassing ways. We walked around for a bit to check out some of the booths, and HP had offered to drive me home, but after hearing how hard it might be to put my bike on his car, seeing the rain stop and feeling some warmth cutting through the clouds I decided to stick to the original plan and ride home. It was bearable. I got home and and a nice long shower and enjoyed relaxing in the peace and quiet.
Long range weather forecasts predicted rain during the weekend, with Sinday morning smack dab in the middle of the rain grouping. It was looking quite likely that the ride was going to be a wet one. As the day approached, it looked more likely to be wet and cool, with temperatures in the low-mid teens and moderate to light winds. This combination was the same as two years prior where the ride was so wet and cold I never felt warm during the ride, and I had to keep moving to prevent my body from falling into a state of hypothermia.
Well, on top of all of this weather, I decided to ride down to the starting line from my place instead of driving or taking transit. The former was cumbersome and not any faster, while the latter was very much slower. So despite the rain, I headed out and met it face first. The ride over was miserable, but as I approached the parking lot rally point, I felt a lot better as my body had started heating up from the exertion. AO showed up at the same time I did, right on time. The two neophytes wanted to start earlier, and I only found out about that the night before, so I figured that there was no point waiting for them. The last person in our group was HP and I didn't get a call from him until ten minutes after the meet time and it was to inform us that he was having breakfast at the Enercare Centre. The reason why was because he had just reached the $1000 fund raising mark and was a VIP rider! Free breakfast! Good for him! By then I had gotten cold and suggested that AO and I wait under the Dufferin bridge while we waited for HP. Well, we for ten minutes under the bridge, and I got even colder. AO decided to march on ahead as he was generally slower and wanted to finish up earlier so I stuck around and waited for HP. He showed up ten minutes later. Now my muscles were completely cold and I was feeling quite chilled. No matter, with enough exertion I figured that I could warm myself up so I set up a brisk enough pace to keep warm. After ten minutes HP told me to go on ahead as he could not keep up at that pace so I forged on.
In my mind I was planning on doing 25 km and to head straight home for a long hot shower and a nice long nap. The weather was bad enough to make me want to cut the whole thing short and call it a day. Actually the weather was bad enough to make me want to completely skip the entire event and stay at home under the covers, but I had already gotten pledges from a few people and..
So as I approached the 25 km turnaround point I felt not so bad. I also asked myself whether I would regret not trying the 50 more or suffering the extra 25 km knowing that I still had to bike home. Not known to being a non-glutton, I forged on ahead. It was a long and painful ride. My left quad started acting up on the southbound ride up the hill to the Eglinton ramps and I started to rely on my right leg more. I was okay on the straights, slight inclines and downhills, but the moment I needed strength, I could feel my left quad wanting to go into spasams. I knew that I should have had more bananas for breakfast (I had one) but I honestly was not hungry at all. I could have stopped to pick one up from a station, but I also knew that if I stopped, I would probably instantly go cold, so I forged ahead.
On the return trip up the ramp from Bayview to the intermediate ramp to the DVP (just before the station) I was trying to stay ahead of the two buses (used for injured riders) when I lifted my left hand off the handle bar and over shot the handlebar when I put it back down. Down I went. Fortunately I was going slow as I was working uphill and was actually riding pretty slow at that time so I mainly suffered from some contusions and abrasions. My right knee got the worst of it. I was immediately asked by other riders if I needed help, and then from the driver of one of the buses. I was so tempted to take a ride back on the yellow bus, but I figured that I got this far, I can make it the last quarter on on my own and declined offers of help.
By the time I reached the ramp from the DVP to the Gardener my left quad was so wonky I was relying nearly solely on my right leg and I started my right quad start quivering from the effort. I think the combination of the cold and exertion was priming my legs to go into free spasm the moment I really needed a burst of power. I eased up on the throttle and slowed down even more.
On the final stretch of the ride back to the starting line I came up behind a rider who was playing loud music. Holy crap, it was HP! He had attached a radio to his bike and was wearing a helmet with long flowing hair so he was really easy to spot. How the heck did he get past me? I caught up with him and he was telling me how he was taking it easy and stopped here, and there. I was just amazed that he was able to get so far just "taking it easy". After we were chatting for several minutes I told him how I made the choice at the 25 km turnaround not continue ahead to do the 50 km, and he told me that he only did 25 km. What. No wonder why I ended up catching up with him! He never passed me, he just took the shorter route! Pride saved! Still this ride ended up being the longest ride that I remember.
After we got back, I started feeling extra chilled and HP sneaked me into the VIP area where they served hot foods, tea and coffee. The hot drinks and warm food helped with my condition and I had not brought an extra set of dry clothes (I was planning to go straight back home) and the air conditioning in the building was hot helping matter. I started shaking violently and uncontrollably soon after I sat down and it was only after downing a couple cups of hot tea and a large warm meal that I started to feel semi-warm again. Hypothermia averted!
AO also finished while we were eating and HP was able to get him in as well. I wanted to lay low and not bring any attention to us, but it looked like the volunteers did not care too much about our trespassing ways. We walked around for a bit to check out some of the booths, and HP had offered to drive me home, but after hearing how hard it might be to put my bike on his car, seeing the rain stop and feeling some warmth cutting through the clouds I decided to stick to the original plan and ride home. It was bearable. I got home and and a nice long shower and enjoyed relaxing in the peace and quiet.
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