This is the forth year for the P2P and you could do one of three rides: the weenie at 30 miles with
3400 feet of elevation gain, the weasel at 50 miles with 6300 feet or the Idiot at 80 miles with 10,000 feet. I
signed up for the Idiot because a coworker told me I could make it, but I knew
it would be tough. I stripped my commuter down to the bare essentials
(nothing) and then put some faster road tires on for less resistance. I used a
saddle bag for a spare tube, tire spoons and patch kit. I ended up buying a
frame bag because I didn’t want to pack anything in the pockets of my jersey
and it paid off during the day and will pay off again on future rides. It’s a
pretty nice addition.
Prepped and ready. Too bad I couldn't find someone to ride it.
I bought a mountain bike crank back in February just for
this ride. I put 34/28 rings on it and already had an 11/32 cassette on the back so I was ready to spin. I
wasn’t going very fast up the hills, nor on the flats for that matter, but I
chugged along knowing I needed to save my leg strength to pull myself up the
hills. Most people were riding stripped down road
bikes to make them as light as possible, but I saw one electric assisted bike (cheater),
several mountain bikes, a couple beach cruisers and one dude did the 30 mile
course on a skate board. Now that's bad ass! Rain was not in
the forecast, but I would have welcomed some cooler weather because I was
sweating bullets after the second climb. The ride is listed as unsupported, but there
was so much food and drink at each of the stamp locations it would have been
difficult to starve. I packed several power bars, but I only ate a few because I left each station with food in my belly. I packed several shots too and forced myself to eat one every hour to prevent the wall
from coming too soon. I also dropped a
Nunn tablet into each bottle on each fill up to keep my electrolytes up. The peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were by
far the best food to hold me over. Another favorite snack was the small red
potatoes at a few of the stops. They were good and the kicker was the
coarsely graded salt in a bowl you could
put as much on as you wanted. I was crunching away and enjoying every bite as I
replaced the salt I had lost in sweat on the miles before. I was forcing myself
to drink and I didn’t care how many times I had to pee. Fluids are very important and I wasn’t going to cramp
up on these hills. There’s plenty of support at the stamp locations, but you’re
on your own on the road. My legs started to cramp up a bit after getting my 13th
stamp, so I knew the full 80 miles was going to be in question. One of the
volunteers at the 14th stamp location asked me how I was and I admitted
I wasn’t doing very well. He showed me how to bypass 15, 16 and 17 and go right
to 18. My mind wanted to continue, but my body said otherwise and it would not
have made it up the difficult island hills ahead. I’m not sure how many miles I shaved off, but
I’m guessing it was in the 16-17 range and I didn’t miss the additional 3000
feet of elevation I had to climb. My shorts were so wet from sweat I developed
a rash in a not so good spot that contributed to my cutting the ride short. A
few days out of the saddle will be a welcomed comfort. Bek’s henna tattoo was a
big hit to all that noticed it. It’s a one of a kind and looked awesome! It’s a
good spot for the real deal next year after my 50th.
Bek's art work.
My Passport.
They had a terrific barbecue dinner prepped
and ready for us after we finished. Brisket, pulled chicken/pork and all the
sides with cold beverages too. I opted for a cold Coke in a glass bottle
because I couldn’t remember the last time I had one in a real bottle and I love
Coke. When we left and got near the truck, I heard a loud howling, so I did a 360 looking
for a dog crying. As I got to the truck I heard it again, but this time it was “very”
loud. I looked at the car behind me and the guy in the passenger seat was in
some crazy pain. I couldn’t help but start to laugh because I knew his leg had
cramped up and I’ve been there, done that many times at the house. He was
smiling a bit when they pulled out, but I knew he was still hurting. My not so sharp eye observed an item of interest before, during and
after the ride. No one was smoking. Not even a vapor cig. I think it’s a first
for me to see (or not see) a smoker in the crowd. I like it. I highly recommend this ride to anyone looking to challenge
themselves to see what they’re made of. It’s a true test of one’s ability. I
can’t wait to see the pictures on their website and the look of pain on our
faces as we ride next to the devil. We must be nutso to not only commit to the
ride, but pay for it too. I’m looking forward to the next one. J
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