 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. |