RIDE FOR THE ROSES - THE FINALE
After a weekend of festivities,The Ride for the Roses was finally here. I never got to meet Lance.
We, Theresa and I, arrived early for the event and spent the morning preparing the bikes, drinking coffee, and waiting. I was in Lane 3 which was the class of the fastest Century riders and at the front. After hearing Lance speak and Robbin Williams tell a few jokes the celebrities took to the road, followed by the major fundraisers, tandems, then Lane 3. When we took off, I led for the first 9-10 miles. Then a peloton caught me and I maintained with them until we go to Elgin, which was 20 miles from the start. It felt a little fast,averaging 30 mph, so I fell back to the second peloton which was about 25 riders. Then we maintained a 26mph pace which was much more comfortable for me. At 10:15 the wind picked up,, which was a cross wind or tail wind, blowing 15-25mph but by that time we were headed back to Elgin. I passed all the rest stops and ate as I rode because I was shooting for a time of under 4 hrs. The peloton I was in fell to just four of us. We took turns dragging off one another until the last five miles when we hit some hills. I was third in the group and the leader fell to the rear to drag. The second rider said he did not want to lead so I knew he was tired or just did not want anyone dragging off him. I attacked the hill hard, maybe a little too hard but when we got to the top the other three fell well back. I descended down the hill and had another climb. One of the guys caught me and said to me, "let's work together and bring it home." I said ok but was unable to stay with him up the climb or catch him over the last two miles. He beat me by about two hundred yards. When I finished I looked at my time which was different than Theresa's watch. My computer acted up during the ride from time to time and read a finish time of 4hours eight minutes. Theresa checked her watch when I left and when I finished and she showed 3 hours and 50 minutes. Either way, it was 29 minutes faster than last years 4hours and 37 minutes and my best century. When I finished and got back to my truck, all I could do was cry. Theresa came over to me and gave me a BIG hug and was so proud of the whole accomplishment. I asked her about her ride and she had completed the 7 miles and was so impressed by the whole atmosphere. To me, she was the real winner today. I was so proud of her and her accomplishment.
I want to thank everyone whom made this dream ride a reality. Special Thanks to Emily and Theresa - although it was very long and sometimes demanding, I could not have completed this without you. We got some great press and publicity for the LAF and Red River. Also, without the support of everyone, it could have never happened. I have learned a lot about cycling, people and myself. I also hope that I have taught my readers something as well:
"One Person CAN Make a Difference."
Thank you once again to everyone,
Live Strong and Ride ON.
Paul Schnatz
Red River Town Councilor
We, Theresa and I, arrived early for the event and spent the morning preparing the bikes, drinking coffee, and waiting. I was in Lane 3 which was the class of the fastest Century riders and at the front. After hearing Lance speak and Robbin Williams tell a few jokes the celebrities took to the road, followed by the major fundraisers, tandems, then Lane 3. When we took off, I led for the first 9-10 miles. Then a peloton caught me and I maintained with them until we go to Elgin, which was 20 miles from the start. It felt a little fast,averaging 30 mph, so I fell back to the second peloton which was about 25 riders. Then we maintained a 26mph pace which was much more comfortable for me. At 10:15 the wind picked up,, which was a cross wind or tail wind, blowing 15-25mph but by that time we were headed back to Elgin. I passed all the rest stops and ate as I rode because I was shooting for a time of under 4 hrs. The peloton I was in fell to just four of us. We took turns dragging off one another until the last five miles when we hit some hills. I was third in the group and the leader fell to the rear to drag. The second rider said he did not want to lead so I knew he was tired or just did not want anyone dragging off him. I attacked the hill hard, maybe a little too hard but when we got to the top the other three fell well back. I descended down the hill and had another climb. One of the guys caught me and said to me, "let's work together and bring it home." I said ok but was unable to stay with him up the climb or catch him over the last two miles. He beat me by about two hundred yards. When I finished I looked at my time which was different than Theresa's watch. My computer acted up during the ride from time to time and read a finish time of 4hours eight minutes. Theresa checked her watch when I left and when I finished and she showed 3 hours and 50 minutes. Either way, it was 29 minutes faster than last years 4hours and 37 minutes and my best century. When I finished and got back to my truck, all I could do was cry. Theresa came over to me and gave me a BIG hug and was so proud of the whole accomplishment. I asked her about her ride and she had completed the 7 miles and was so impressed by the whole atmosphere. To me, she was the real winner today. I was so proud of her and her accomplishment.
I want to thank everyone whom made this dream ride a reality. Special Thanks to Emily and Theresa - although it was very long and sometimes demanding, I could not have completed this without you. We got some great press and publicity for the LAF and Red River. Also, without the support of everyone, it could have never happened. I have learned a lot about cycling, people and myself. I also hope that I have taught my readers something as well:
"One Person CAN Make a Difference."
Thank you once again to everyone,
Live Strong and Ride ON.
Paul Schnatz
Red River Town Councilor
posted by Pauls Peloton at 6:23 AM
1 Comments:
Good job Paul! I have to admit I thought you were a little insane when I first heard about your plan to ride to Austin. But then I knew that you would complete the trip because you have an awesome work ethic and a stubborn streak. I'm proud of you and am in awe of your accomplishment...you give us "old" people something to strive for.
Sorry we missed the welcome home party. Looking forward to seeing you and giving you a big 'ol hug!
Love,
Tree
Will you be posting photos from your trip on your blog?
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