Sunday, June 21, 2015

A Trek-tastic weekend

This weekend I completed my second Trek Across Maine, a 180-mile bike ride to raise money for the American Lung Association.  I rode with my friend Kristy and three members of her family on team "Never Say Never."  I don't want to go too far in theirs post without thanking those that sponsored me.  I raised just under $1000 and was lifted by that generosity throughout the ride.  Thank you!!!

This time I drove up, parked at the airport in Portland, rode my bike to a park-and-ride with my huge backpack, and rode the bus to Sunday River!  Is was so great to be back in Maine.

The Trek kicked off on Friday under clouds and showers.  The sky opened up and the rain came down hard as I passed the site of the 2013 accident.  And I rode on.  And the sun came out!  We had a great ride, though it was a bit windy.  Food was really great at Farmington, too! Oh, and my family flew in to Maine! They headed up to Sangerville for some fun, but it was nice knowing they were near.

Saturday was a beautiful day!  Ideal conditions and a relatively quick ride.  When we got to Colby we had time for massages, beer, inversions, and dinner before the Spirit of the Trek presentation.

Sunday was pretty much the exact opposite of Saturday.  The remnants of a tropical storm left us riding in a cool, solid rain.  It was tough.  I wore almost all of the gear I brought with me. Rest stops had to be fast or you'd get too cold.  By the second rest stop my partners were hopping on a bus--they were just too cold.  I felt ok, so I continued on.  The hills kept me sort of warm, but I blew by the third rest stop to just get to the finish.  At the "last stop" a mile from he finish, I was elated to see Jenn and Kris! We got to ride to the finish together!  And to my utter surprise, my family was at the finish line, in the rain!  I cried!  And shortly after got really cold!  We ate and I got an emergency blanket, but it took a while to really warm up.  But we did it!  We did it!!!

I really want to ride again next year, but the logistics may prevent that.   I may still try, though!  Thank you to the organizers, volunteers, my team, and our supporters for an amazing Trek experience!

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