Day Four – Hood River to Condon

Early in the day I was having issues clipping my cleats into my pedals. We had our first snack stop about mile 20 and I took advantage of a bathroom in a campground nearby. As I unclipped and began to walk across the ground, I realized that my left cleat was barely attached to my shoe. One of the guides, Scott, screwed it back on for me and we checked my right shoe. It was also coming loose. Without secure clips, you lose power on your pedal stroke because your foot is slipping around on your pedal and you aren’t able to take full advantage of the pull and push of your legs – especially on climbs. Because I’m sure that they had been loosening for a few days, it’s likely I made yesterday’s climbs more difficult on myself than necessary because of the looseness. Thankfully, crisis averted for the afternoon and things were as they should be.

We had a lovely stop about mile 66 just before the worst of the climbing for the day was to begin – an 8 mile stretch of uphill on a hot afternoon with hot wind along a very lonely road. There was a beautiful river nearby and we took advantage of a quick dip before starting the climb.

Three of the women I’d been riding with regularly had opted out of completing the day meaning that I’d be riding alone through this next stretch. Scott, one of our guides, rode with me. I told him before we pulled out on the road that I was going to finish this day on my bike.

We caught up to one of the stronger riders along the way who was having a less than optimal day. The three of us took breaks every 2 miles to hydrate, fuel if needed, and let our heart rates come down before the next stretch. While only 8 miles on paper – the climb had us at a slow 8-10 mph meaning it was going to be a solid hour of hot and miserable climbing. The strategy got us through and we arrived at the rest stop at mile 76 relieved that the worst was over.

We still, however, had 18 miles back to the hotel with 14 miles of rolling incline and the last 4 miles of downhill. The 14 miles were a challenge, but we stopped once or twice again to hydrate and let the heart rates come down. The last 4 miles, even with the downhill, were challenging. My feet were sore and swollen in my cleats. At the rest stop at mile 76 my stomach felt bloated and I couldn’t fathom the thought of eating or drinking anymore – but still had 18 miles ahead. I opted for water only without electrolytes in my bottle. Ate a few bites of banana and headed out. Along that last stretch, I used the water in my bottle to cool my head and body and took the odd small sip.

We arrived at the hotel, the last group to finish, with cheers from our fellow riders – both those who had finished and those who hadn’t. Everyone agreed – the day was brutal. It took grit and determination to make it through. No one was able to see through my glasses, but I had tears in my eyes as I arrived at the hotel and fought them somewhat when inside. The tears were tears of joy for what I had just accomplished and what my mind and body had overcome. There was a moment in the first 1/2 mile of the hard climb where I felt I wouldn’t make it. I prayed and put those thoughts aside knowing that there was absolutely no reason I couldn’t. Whether I would or not would be my choice and I chose to finish.

Once at the hotel, I took a hot shower and laid on the bed quietly until dinner which was to be in 1/2 hour. I went down for dinner which was a wedge salad, pasta with some sort of pesto, chicken, shrimp and fried cauliflower. It was a somewhat bland dinner, but was perfect for what I needed to fuel up for tomorrow’s ride. I ate and went back up to my room to crawl into bed until I fell asleep. I am writing this the next morning because I was asleep by roughly 8 pm which was blissful. I slept mostly through the night but had popped two Advil before going to bed as I was achy and a little warm from the heat of the day.

Today we have another 90 mile ride on tap, but with mostly small rollers and an overall downhill gaining us back 6500 feet in elevation. Will be thankful for today as a gift following yesterday’s challenge.

Yesterday’s ride reminded me that we can do hard things. We can challenge ourselves. And we can put our physical and mental fortitude to the test – and overcome it if we commit to it. It was a character building day for me. One that I will never forget.