BC Bike Race Challenge!

Please note: due to technical difficulties, links for BC Bike Race were unable to be provided in this blog. Please visit www.bcbikerace.com for all the deets!

I’m up for the Challenge. I’ve been saying that for over three months now. My training for BC Bike Race Challenge course has also been a challenge!
Getting into the groove with the right bikes for me was a struggle. I managed with slicks on my old Rocky Mountain Fusion (19 years old to be exact!) to go solo on the roads early in the mornings. I’d get passed by packs of roadies with little giddy-up comments. Oh well, at least I was out there riding. Which is what Andreas Hestler told me from the get go. Get the miles on, bum in saddle.
My neighbours started to notice a difference in my schedule. Rather then waking up to get the paper at 8 a.m. I was coming in from a three hour road ride. Tired. Which prompted one idle remark from the male species, "Well at least you’ve got nice thighs!"
Thunder thighs they've now been named.
I have to say I’m pretty thankful the BC Bike Race starts in the summer. When my serious BC Bike Race training began in late March, the early morning rides were cold and dark. Lights were mandatory, so were arm warmers, footsy rain protectors, layers upon layers - even the long leggings.
As the weeks passed the days got longer, the early mornings got springier. But there was rain, lots of it. I’d attempted a three hour ride starting off in the rain one morning. Three pairs of gloves later I made it home. Frickin’ freezing. Lesson to oneself, wear all the gear before you leave and make sure it’s ALL waterproof.
The training program on the web site is great. But hard to follow when you’re working 8-10 hour days with an almost 2 hour commute. The only time during the week I could squeeze in long rides was if I got up at 4:15 a.m. The thought of me wearing the BC Bike Race belt buckle dangled over my head when I hit snooze for the first time. That usually got me out of bed.
It was super sweet once I got a properly fitted cross-country bike and started doing the Island Cup xc races. Even though I managed the tailgater spot for the most part, I could feel the improvement in my stamina and confidence in climbing up and in particular down. Practice makes perfect right!
The butterflies have already crept into my stomach. BC Bike Race is now three days away. I took up the Challenge, because I like a challenge. To be honest, I’m looking forward to living like a Pro: eat, race, eat, sleep, eat, race, eat, sleep, eat, race, eat, sleep for seven whole days!
I am no Olympian, I’m a 46 year-old mother with a spirit of a 27 year-old and mental madness to know I’ll find a way to get’er done, I know I’ll have to dig deep. No pain, no gain. Every step and strain you take today, is an investment in tomorrow morning’s strength.
Ready or not, here I come!