Well very sadly I do not have any pictures from the ride because my digital camera failed, so I will have to paint this great day for you with my words.
After 3.5 hours of sleep, I got up at 4:14 am, bikes in the car all packed and geared up and headed for Georgetown to pick up Mary. It took us about 2.5 hours to get to the race destination in Chesapeake City, Maryland-- along the Maryland/Delaware border.
It was intended to be a Metric Century race for us but unfortunately we are both very map challenged and managed to more than exceed the 100K/63 mile course-- by about 50 miles to be exact!!!!!!!!!!
The map they gave us was six pages long- if that gives you any idea. It was really beautiful. Our ride started out along the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, lots of boats, historic homes and old towns. Mary rode my Hybrid bike, which I have affectionately called "the Tank" because it is heavy and durable. However, after yesterday's event the tank has a new name "The Egg Beater". For the first seven miles of our race, Mary was barely moving. "I can't figure this out, is it that I'm really out of shape or is it this bike," she asks as she peddles about 20 times for each one pedaling cycle I am doing on my racing bike--
"What gear are you in," I ask as we reach mile 7 and enter a corn field. "I'm in the highest gear," she answers as her legs are spinning faster than any legs would go in an aerobic spinning class.
"No, actually you are in the easiest gear," I say. "Couldn't you notice that?," I ask-- She promptely shifts gears and then begins cycling at a regular pace-- She then informs me on our 100K race that this is the first time she's been on a bike in more than THREE YEARS! And people say I am crazy! So while the computer on my bike clocked 110 miles, Mary gets credit for an additional 10 miles because of the whole egg-beater riding she did for the first 7 miles.
It was a beautiful ride, all through farms, thoroughbreds would run to the fences and look at us. We saw turtles in the road, field after field of wheat, corn and we think soy (neither of us is agricultural, although I think I might be a little more comfortable with the topic). We both sang songs from Oklahoma as we rode past corn fields-- As the waving wheat can sure smell sweet.....
"What is that huge metal thing stretching across that field?" Mary asks as we ride through a corn field. "It's an irrigation system,"I reply.
After about mile 12, we ended up deep into farm country- and funny- hmm. no other bike racers around-- were we riding that fast? surely someone must come along. Then we hear the clip clop, clip clop, clip clop of a trotting horse and look to see that it is an Amish family in a cart- four children sitting on the back with their legs hanging over the side and two very somber parents directing the Clydesdale horse as it trotted on the country road.
OKay-- I have been told that I am quite the competitive spirit. I don't always agree with this, but when a challenge comes before me I can't resist-- and frankly at this point, we were not even on our map-- we didn't even know if we were in Delaware or Maryland at this point-- we were in a field out in the middle of no where, no cell, no idea of where we were, two bikes that's it.
So as the cart passed us, I shifted into competitive Joanne mode and raced ahead and really with little effort passed the cart.-- ask Mary if you do not believe this but I can ride my bike faster than a work horse-- She claims I got some very interesting looks from the Amish family. I don't know if they were complimentary looks or not- I will not ponder this.
Finally we came to a main road and found some other lost bikers who held up the map and then moved their hands about a foot away from it and said "This is where we are right now." So at that point, we figured out how to get back on our map and find some sort of route back to the race.
Mary and I decided to backtrack and do the course backwards unbeknownst to us that this would make what was to be a 63 mile course much much longer! At mile 45 we again were lost and a very fit man on a fancy racing bike (not in the race) stopped and pointed us back to our course and parenthetically mentioned that we would pass the "Alibi Inn". Hmmm. tired, lost several times over and very hot- the word Inn and the prospects of resting seemed wonderful. A quaint historic inn, antiques and little fancy sandwiches.
We indeed found our way there. Where there's a will there's a way, especially when there's food and drink involved! The Alibi Inn, however, was a bit different than we expected. Mind you we don't know still what state we are in Delaware? or Maryland?
We came upon this shack, with a handful of rusty pickup trucks parked out front, all with patriotic stickers and flags on them, gun racks, crap traps etc. Parked our bikes and went in- time: 10:45 am. The place inhabited by retired men very red in the eyes having been sitting at the bar for several hours already. "When things get busy here you folks has got to git ur own drinks, that's just how things is," one customer slurs to us-- as we all swatted at the flies about us.-- One wise customer at the end of the bar, indeed a regular, knew to come with his own fly swatter in hand-- often used as a pointer when he needed to make some valuable comment. Very pleasant company as we sat at a grubby table with mismatched chairs in the cement-floored establishment.
Mary and I ordered haddock sandwiches and crab dip-- regretfully on that dip-- we both felt pretty sick afterward- not a good dish to have when it's hot, you're lost and you've got another 70 miles to go. Mary denies this but I do recall in the 1980s when I first met her, that she pronounced "Athur Treacher's as "Arthur Tretchers" (like stretcher...) she denies this- but it is very true. Also she is the only person I know on this planet who ate at Arthur Treacher's.
It was also discussed at length the meaning behind the name ARBYs.-- apparently I've been told and she vaguely recalls too- that this name somehow means Roast Beef-- there is apparently an entire sentence about this in this name, but I don't quite get this. It also became apparent that it was only in recent years that either of us realized that the farm hands in the Wizard of Oz were indeed also the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion. "That just shows how good a story that is doesn't it," Mary comments.-- This is at about mile 55-- we are a bit delirious at this point-- no other bikers to be found.
More about the scenery, all over the ride there were these historic homes- places where George Washington slept etc-- stuff from the 1700s -- Also big plantation like farm houses- with grand trees lining the drives-- huge fruit laden trees, cows wisely sleeping in the shade. Then we would come across a bit of red-neck stuff too- like junky houses with things in the yard like rusty refrigerators or hamster cages "4-sale"-- I can't tell you how to get there if any of this stuff appeals to you because I don't know if this was in Maryland or Delaware--
I can tell you that we crossed over that Mason-Dixon line about 12 times during our trip-- winding through all these country roads going back and forth back and forth over that line. So we crossed in and out of each state repeatedly.
We did make it back to our car- had to get directions several times over but we did make it. And I have to tell you-- it took about 5 hours to do the race and we laughed the entire time. I look forward to doing another century-- this time I'm bringing along someone who can read a map though!
FIVE FAVORITE THINGS:
1. finishing the race
2. having so many things to laugh about
3. being faster than an Amish horse
4. not having to sit on a bike today
5. maps and people who can read them well!
