'Reach the Beach' 2012
A bike riding story by k Munson
May 19, 2012, 5:20am came a little early, we all got up and left, no drama... but we were all excited and pondering what was ahead for our 104 mile day . The morning was cool, after getting to the take off point for the Portland start (Conestoga Middle School) we were quickly joined by the rest of our crew. There were 7 us in all that rode that morning, Pete, Krystal, Tara, Mark, Jolene, Ken and I.
Just about 6:40 Ken, Pete, Krystal and I headed out. The rest had to get the rest of their packets and took off a little bit later. The first leg was cold but pretty, rolling hills out by where I pick berrys in the summer. By the time we got to the first break spot our toes were frozen. It took a little walking around on them to get the blood really pumping through and warm them up. When we started we thought we were going to blow by the first stop, glad we didn't, we needed the break from the cold.
The second leg was probably my favorite part of the ride... yes yes it was. The first half of the this leg was hilly, couple twisty downs followed by more ups which was fine, there were a few breaks that made it not such a pain. The best part was the down downs on the back side, oh my goodness that was FUN. Twisted and fast, may not be so fast for some but our top speed reached almost 45mi hr which is good fun for us. The next stop we did blow by, we were on a high.
From there on out the ride was full of twists and turns, flats and rolling hills, pretty views with blue to overcast skys, perfect! As you rode you passed and got passed by many different riders. The camaraderie on this ride was awesome, the majority of riders were well experienced and you never felt you were going to be taken out but a sudden unexpected move from a newbie. Our draft was joined by a random soloist which would take their pull in turn. As you listened for other riders around you, you could hear the money go by, there was alot of expensive gear that flew by and it was fun to hear. We love to ride and have spent moderate amount on gear, however the difference in our gear and the money... dang the difference is amazing and it's no wonder they fly the way they do.
We had no casualties, I only lost my chain once which was a quick fix (I'm getting good at that). Other than that we were all pretty stong right up to the end. Just prior to the final leg we lost Pete and Krystal, and the way the road was by that time we just had to go. We knew they weren't too far back. We blew the final rest stop and headed out on the last leg and to the final hill. As soon as I saw the hill about 4 - 5 miles in I quickly remembered it from the first time, I didn't care for it much the first time let alone the second. The nice thing is that it wasn't as long as I remembered it and this time I had the right bike to do it with. (Having done this ride the whole way on a mountain bike in 2005 made this ride a piece of cake). Soon we headed down and out, quickly you saw the haystack you were riding towards. The wind picked up (as it would) but the salt air and views of the final approach gave you the final burst to finish.
No sooner than later we rode into Pacific City and across the finish line to be cheered on by our friends and kids who were there to welcome us at the end. How fun was that... great fun and for a good reason. If you are so inclined to take on Reach the Beach 2013 or later we recommend it.
May 19, 2012, 5:20am came a little early, we all got up and left, no drama... but we were all excited and pondering what was ahead for our 104 mile day . The morning was cool, after getting to the take off point for the Portland start (Conestoga Middle School) we were quickly joined by the rest of our crew. There were 7 us in all that rode that morning, Pete, Krystal, Tara, Mark, Jolene, Ken and I.
Just about 6:40 Ken, Pete, Krystal and I headed out. The rest had to get the rest of their packets and took off a little bit later. The first leg was cold but pretty, rolling hills out by where I pick berrys in the summer. By the time we got to the first break spot our toes were frozen. It took a little walking around on them to get the blood really pumping through and warm them up. When we started we thought we were going to blow by the first stop, glad we didn't, we needed the break from the cold.
The second leg was probably my favorite part of the ride... yes yes it was. The first half of the this leg was hilly, couple twisty downs followed by more ups which was fine, there were a few breaks that made it not such a pain. The best part was the down downs on the back side, oh my goodness that was FUN. Twisted and fast, may not be so fast for some but our top speed reached almost 45mi hr which is good fun for us. The next stop we did blow by, we were on a high.
From there on out the ride was full of twists and turns, flats and rolling hills, pretty views with blue to overcast skys, perfect! As you rode you passed and got passed by many different riders. The camaraderie on this ride was awesome, the majority of riders were well experienced and you never felt you were going to be taken out but a sudden unexpected move from a newbie. Our draft was joined by a random soloist which would take their pull in turn. As you listened for other riders around you, you could hear the money go by, there was alot of expensive gear that flew by and it was fun to hear. We love to ride and have spent moderate amount on gear, however the difference in our gear and the money... dang the difference is amazing and it's no wonder they fly the way they do.
We had no casualties, I only lost my chain once which was a quick fix (I'm getting good at that). Other than that we were all pretty stong right up to the end. Just prior to the final leg we lost Pete and Krystal, and the way the road was by that time we just had to go. We knew they weren't too far back. We blew the final rest stop and headed out on the last leg and to the final hill. As soon as I saw the hill about 4 - 5 miles in I quickly remembered it from the first time, I didn't care for it much the first time let alone the second. The nice thing is that it wasn't as long as I remembered it and this time I had the right bike to do it with. (Having done this ride the whole way on a mountain bike in 2005 made this ride a piece of cake). Soon we headed down and out, quickly you saw the haystack you were riding towards. The wind picked up (as it would) but the salt air and views of the final approach gave you the final burst to finish.
No sooner than later we rode into Pacific City and across the finish line to be cheered on by our friends and kids who were there to welcome us at the end. How fun was that... great fun and for a good reason. If you are so inclined to take on Reach the Beach 2013 or later we recommend it.
