Emma Greenwood

It was May 2nd, the weather was perfect for a bike ride except for a pesky wind. The racers lined up for the pre-race meeting, which was pretty much inaudible over the chatter of excited cyclists and supportive friends. At 9am sharp we were off with a police escort through the streets of Sandpoint, heading north out of town. Before long we were riding on back roads I used to frequent when living in an apartment about 5 miles out of town. I chatted with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while, but before long I realized the large group we were with was riding quite fast. I told myself I wasn’t going to start out too fast, so I decided to slow down. This was my first mistake, because as soon as I fell back from the group I noticed a headwind that I previously had not. There were two races happening at the same time: a 54-mile race and a 78-mile race. I was doing the longer one. I told myself most of the people speeding along ahead of me were probably doing the shorter race, and it was fine for me to be starting off at a nice warm-up pace. Only 4 segments of the race were timed, and I hadn’t yet reached the first one.

The beginning of the ride wasn’t very fun, with a road closure forcing us to take a route that didn’t make as much sense as it previously did. I was feeling annoyed that I was alone so quickly, with the wind not helping. I made it to the first segment, which was very short, and biked as fast as I could for the 5-minute timed section.

I knew the second segment was going to be a long one — 9.5 miles, with the last 5 being a climb. As soon as I hit the beginning of the gravel section I settled in. My plan was to take this segment fairly easily to make sure I would have some energy left for the last timed bit, which I knew was going to be tough at the end of the race. I followed the plan and had a great ride up the mountain. The wind started to die down and I was finding a groove. Once I made it to the end of the timed segment I got off my bike to pee in the woods, then enjoyed a long rocky gravel descent to the first aid station. Besides an older gentleman I was playing leap frog with for a bit, I hadn’t seen anyone else. I was glad I had brought 3 water bottles, because by the time I reached the aid station I had gone almost 30 miles, including quite a bit of elevation gain and loss. I had been sticking to my nutrition plan, which was to drink a bottle of water or electrolytes every hour and eat some form of carbs every 30–45 minutes.

At the first aid station I finally saw some other cyclists and ended up chatting with a friend of a friend, Leah. We decided to ride together for the second climb. It was nice to have some company, and we talked while riding at generally the same pace for the second timed segment. We both enjoyed a long paved descent down to the second aid station, where I was generously given a shoulder rub from Jenny (Outdoor Experience has the best aid station!) and ate the random snacks they had for us. I think I had a PB&J and a couple of Oreos, and consumed some more electrolytes since by this point I was quite sweaty.

When Leah and I left the aid station we were about 50 miles into the race. Ahead of us were 15 miles of pavement to the last timed segment, which was going to be singletrack. I told Leah I wasn’t going to push too hard on those miles to save myself for the last segment, so we cruised back into town.

By the time we got to the last segment, Leah told me she was going to take a break- but by this point I had been biking for 6 hours and didn’t feel like stopping, so Leah and I parted ways. The last segment was 6 miles, and I tried my best to push as hard as I could up the singletrack. By this point my legs were feeling heavy and sluggish. I was just happy that I pedaled the entire section and didn’t get off my bike, even during the downhill which was a trail I had never ridden before with steeper sections than I was expecting. Singletrack becomes more intimidating when you’re on a steel-framed drop-bar gravel bike. I enjoyed riding by myself and listened to a playlist Kyle had made me. Once I finished the last segment, I had a small internal celebration, and texted Kyle that I was almost finished. The last bit of the ride went by extremely quickly, and I high fived a random guy when crossing the finish line.

I had a beer outside of the busy bar and recapped the day with Kyle and some other riders. 78 miles, 4,300 feet of elevation gain. Overall I was feeling both accomplished and satisfied, despite realizing I could have pushed myself harder. I’ve never been very competitive, and although participating in races is fun, I don’t think I want to be a bike “racer.” The next day I took out a vintage road bike we own, sat my sore butt in the saddle, and went on a golden hour bike-about, which is what we call a bike ride with no destination or route in mind. Bikes are an incredible form of transportation, a tool for exercise, a way to get together with friends, or a meditation all on your own. A day spent biking is a good day. Thanks to my bike for always being there when I need you!!