This photo was taken
during the Whidbey Isle 50-mile bicycle ride to benefit the American Diabetes
Association in 1992. There was lots of wind and rain to make the ride very
challenging. Having trained in Alameda, CA, we were not prepared
for the hills that are prominent on the West Coast of Washington. Whidbey Isle is very hilly. Some hills were so
steep that we could barely ride the bike fast enough to keep it upright.
It took all three brakes to keep the big blue bike (350 lbs with us
onboard) from going over 40 mph on steep descents. The ride would have been plenty challenging WITHOUT the wind and rain. Keeping the bike under control on wet roads was a source of concern; but all went well. We were greeted
by cheering Girl Scouts at our first rest stop (25 miles). We continued
the ride after getting food and drying our clothes with the restrooms' hand dryers. The remainder of
the ride was pleasant, except for the climbs. We finished the ride
in about 3 or 4 hours. We were honored to find that we were the top
contributers, raising over $1000. Over $750 came from the crew of CGC
MUNRO. We rode the Chuckanut Metric Century (62 miles) the
next day, also a very hilly ride. We treated ourselves to a stay in the Dutchmill Inn, a windmill with five wonderful rooms in Lynden, WA, to reward ourselves for a good weekend of riding. |