Life and Other Stuff

PeloFondo is an endurance event where participants pledge to ride x number of miles, then set about doing them over 1 or 2 days of a weekend. There are other events over the year, including a running event as well as a simulated cycling climb. This weekend was PeloFondo.

In 2020 I pledged 30 miles, then changed it to 50 and completed it. Throughout the event I saw many folks with impressive finishing times and incredible mileage counts. 75 miles, 100, 150 and even a couple of 300 milers! Mind. Blowing. Early 2021, I decided to go for it and do the full century ride. 100 miles on a bike that goes no where. No benefit of a downhill coast, no light wind at our back, just slogging miles pedal stroke after pedal stroke.

Not an easy feat at any pace, but I completed what I set out to do. Lots of food breaks and what felt like gallons of hydration along the way. Over the last 3 years, I didn’t attempt the 100 mile mark again being too busy with the kids, schedules, and just knowing how much of an effort it takes to do that – I didn’t have it in me with other training goals…

Until this year!

Planning to ride on Saturday, I grocery shopped Friday and was all set. Hannah came up and showed me the temp complaining that it was hot in the house.

“Why the heck is the A/C not on?” I wondered. Seriously? No AC? During. an. endurance. event?! Because of course gremlins have impeccable timing, not only is this weekend the PeloFondo, it’s also conveniently a weekend where the hubby out of town. Oy! There’s no way I’m riding 100 miles with no A/C. I’m crazy, but I’m not insane.

Texts and messages and putting my googler to work, (among the swear words uttered), we surmise that the drain is likely clogged, but a quick stop gap measure can be done to get the A/C running again, at least long enough to get us through the weekend when a tech can come out to assess the situation and get it fixed.

This “quick” stop gap requires an adventure into the hot sweaty attic (where I just know that the bugs and spiders are all waiting for me), to investigate the drip pan, and if it is full of water, use the shop vac to hose it out.

Being a semi-mechanically inclined person, what I don’t know, I can usually work out with a YouTube how-to video. I fight with this ladder to get it in place. (It’s awesome once its set up, but it is a pain to jostle and extend up). Oh, and I hate heights. Going up isn’t usually the issue – it’s the coming back down that makes my legs shake involuntarily. The kids were troopers and helped me by handing up our large shop vac, plugging it in and hollering, “You got this Mom!” as I complained about fiberglass cuts in my hand. I was itchy all over, but was pleasantly surprised to find NO bugs in sight! There was even a light switch to make my adventure more visible. I sucked all the water out and we all heard the A/C kick back on! Relief washed over as I made my way to the ceiling access to then hand down the shop vac full of water to the kids’ waiting hands.

“Oh mom! Mom! MOM! Stop!” I peer around the vacuum I’m barely holding on to while balancing on the ladder to see water splashing all over my closet floor.

“ARRRRGGHHH….” I heave it back into the attic to reassess my extraction plan. Hannah runs to get towels to lay on the floor. Beyond tired and frustrated, I turn the shop vac around so the hose entry point will face upward as I lean it back and down, thus eliminating the leak. Arms extended upward, they once again grabbed on and were able to successfully bring it down with minimal spillage! Whew!

Replacing the access panel, then wrestling the ladder we put all the stuff back into the garage. “Team work makes the dream work!” I hollered as I rejoiced in front of the vent, now happily blowing cool air again. The kids laughed at me as they do. I resumed putting away the groceries and food prepping. All is well when I’m not hot and sweating!

After the kids’ activities Saturday morning, a hearty breakfast onboard, and coffee consumed, 4 additional sets of clothes were laid out in preperation as I knew that the sweat would be pouring in no time.

Ate a PB and J and was feeling pretty cute and excited about how it was going! Even snagged a PR on the first ride! “This will be hard, but feeling this good – maybe it won’t be as arduous as I remember….”

2nd ride in….let my hair down and kept pedaling. Energized by fellow Fondo high fives, the initial 20 miles flew by fairly quickly. Great class playlists helped!

Made it just over the half way point and realized how arrogant I was at mile 2. Thank goodness for multiple pairs of padded bib shorts – something I did not have during my first attempt at this mileage.

Cheering teammates’ efforts, grabbing snacks, refilling water bottles, letting the dogs in and out broke up the day. Many stretch breaks ensued as the miles wore on.

“Ugh. I’ve over half way there…I can’t stop now,” I complained to myself.

“You pledged the mileage,” I replied.

” Why did I have to go and tell people I was gonna ride this in one day? I should have broken up the mileage into both days.”

“Do you really want to ride both days?”

“No…..”

“So just do the damn thing and get it done.”

“Fine,” I huffed as I stormed off to change. I can be so pushy sometimes.

The universe had other plans in mind, however…

“It’s hot in here again!!!” my daughter hollered shoving her phone in my face with photographic evidence of he thermostat giving error codes. Pedaling and trying not to die while she talked it dawned on me that it was in fact warmer in the house. I had mentally chalked it up to being delirious and sweat soaked at mile 76. There’s no way this can be happening again…..

Pausing the ride, I muttered, “No, no, no….not again!”

“Maybe it’s the thermostat itself,” I grumbled to myself hoping against hope that I do not in fact have to lug that dang ladder back in and haul that awkward shop-vac up to the attic. I charged it up for a few minutes and eek out the rest of the class I had paused. I got to mile 86. Crossing fingers unfortunately didn’t work. Charging the thermostat wasn’t the issue.

Hannah strained around the corner with the heavy ladder careful not to hit the walls along the way. My shoulders slumped in defeat. A trip back up to the attic was going to happen whether I wanted to do it or not. Only this time I was beyond tired. I had been pedaling all day and still had almost 15 miles to go.

Up I trudged, while the kids assumed their duties of moral support and hander uppers/take downers. I vacuumed out the pan full of water again. Only this time the shop vac was too full to hand down. Sprinting into action, one kid grabbed the car wash bucket and the other grabbed a plastic cup. Standing on the ladder, I scooped out A/C drain water from the shop vac to the bucket and handed it down to the kids to dump. We did this 5 or 6 times until the shop vac was light enough to hand down. Whew. We did it again! Yay us! Collapsing the ladder, scooping up towels, we put it all away. A/C blowing cold once again.

I walked over to my bike. This machine that I love, but at that moment, not sure if I even liked it. “You’ve done 86 miles. you can do the 14 and change you need to finish this,” I encouraged myself.

“You can do it,” Hannah said. “Think how good that shower is going to feel when you’re done,” she challenged, grinning. She knows me well. I climbed back on. I lined up 3 classes that have been bookmarked for a while. No longer feeling cute, or hungry. Just tired. It’s time to be done. I pressed play.

The goal in mind was simply to hit 100 miles and beat the 2021 time. I did it! Sweat, fiberglass insulation, grit, dust and dirt all over me, I finished up stretching and hobbled myself to the shower.

It was one of the best showers of my life, full stop.

I don’t think I will be attempting to do century rides again anytime soon. This human machine needs some rest! (And all the food!)