SCEIC Cycle Jam

Sunday, David and I participated in the 2nd annual Space Coast Early Intervention Center Cycle Jam.  For this ride you could sign up for the 100 mile, 66 mile, 33 mile, or 10 mile family ride.  Harris sponsors the ride so employees are able to register for a discounted price.  I love that Harris does this.  It works out well for me because I get to enjoy the races for less, works out for the race charity because they get more entries, and I imagine Harris gets some type of tax write off for it as well.

100 and 66 Miler's Start

I was a little nervous about the ride.  I didn't know what the environment would be like, how the course would be marked, or how I would do riding 33 miles.  I'd never ridden further than about 20 miles before.  I had no idea how much water I would need so I wore my monster Camelbak backpack just in case.  I easily had the largest Camelbak/backpack of anyone there.  According to David someone riding around him said, "Good grief!  What does that girl have in that bag?!"  When I arrived, the 100 and 66 mile riders were starting.  They all looked very serious in their spandex clothes.  None of them really bolted off the starting line though.  Everyone seemed very content to start at an easy pace while people spaced out.  This made me feel a little bit better.

Pre-ride

David and I lined up toward the back of the pack for the start.  This was a non competitive charity ride so you don't wear a timing chip or anything.  Neither one of us were really in it to win it.  The start was calm similar to the 100 and 66 mile start.  After a couple miles people started to settle into their place and there wasn't much passing going on.  I started off following a guy with a skeleton styled jersey.  He was going slightly slower than I normally would, but I didn't know how much gas I should leave in the tank for 33 miles.  He was an incredibly polite rider.  Every time there was something in the road like a branch or a pothole or sand he would point it out as he passed it.  When he was stopping he would use a hand gesture.  Just overall a pleasure to ride with.  I decided to hang behind him for a while to learn some good group riding etiquette and because it really was nice to have such a polite guy leading the pack.  At a stop light he introduced himself to David and I as Russel.  I like Russel.  Him and David rode together the whole ride so they are bros now.

After about a third of the ride I got a little restless with the pace and decided to jump in front and leave our miniature pack.  I really liked the group element of riding, but I like to hang by myself sometimes.  I can get complacent and just follow the rear in front of me in a pack.

The route for the 33 mile course was really nice.  The first section went through city streets (as city as Melbourne is), the second section through less used roads, and the final section up US 1 and side streets with beautiful river views.  My cadence sensor on my bike stopped working about at Malabar Road so I was riding blind for the rest of the trip.  I've come to be very dependent on that sensor.  I try to keep my cadence constant regardless of the speed it's taking me.  At a cadence of 85 rpm I might be going really fast or really slow depending on the incline and headwind.  I made the best of it and just tried to ride at a comfortable level.

My favorite part was the ride down Old Dixie Highway.  It had tall trees on both sides to block the wind so I was able to pick up some pretty good speed.  At the turn onto US1 at the 20 mile mark there was a SAG station with snacks and drinks.  In keeping with the non competitive nature of the ride I decided not to kill myself and make a pit stop.  They had the most delicious M&M trail mix ever!  As I was chomping along there goes Russel and David!  They were too good to stop at the SAG I guess.  All bets on the non competitiveness of the race were off at that point.  I hopped back on the bike to make sure they didn't beat me to the finish.  I try not to be competitive, but with David it just doesn't work.

The ride up US1 was tough.  There was a good wind and the effort that previously was taking me up to 19 mph was now pushing me to a measly 13.  I had to crank it up.  My legs felt ok, but my left knee was starting the ache and my butt was about done riding on the saddle.  In hindsight I should have just been ok with the lower speed and nursed my knee a little bit.  I should have gone down to an easy gear and just spun through to the end.  Of course, I didn't do that at all.  My knee is now yelling at me as punishment.  I'm more convinced than ever that I have quadriceps tendonitis in the left knee.  Hopefully it will feel better in a couple days.

Post Ride

After the ride I felt surprisingly good.  I wasn't feeling refreshed by any stretch, but I didn't feel like I was going to need a wheelchair to get to the car either.  Much better than I expected.  David and I stopped and chatted with Russel for a little bit after the ride and he invited us to join his Saturday ride group that leaves from the Palm Bay Hospital on Saturday mornings.  If they are all as considerate as Russel, it would be a lot of fun to join them every now and then.

32 miles, 2:01 moving time, 15.9 mph moving avg, 22.6 mph max

There were free snacks and lunch afterwards so David and I probably more than replenished the calories we burned.  Each rider got a lunch voucher that we could use for food from Jason's Deli, Olive Garden, Long Doggers, and Broken Barrel catering tents.  There was live music and a bounce house for the kids.  Overall, this was a really well done event.  Maybe next year I'll be tough enough to do the 66 miler!