Just Ride!
My story of my ride with Dotsie and then later with Team Acqua Y Sapone.
Friday, 06/05/2004
Hey. What a cool weekend I had. I am very lucky to live in the Philadelphia area. The first week of June is an awesome time. All the teams that are riding in the Wachovia Pro series are in town. There is a bike path that runs from the city, out to Oaks, PA along the river. Here is a link to the map, should you want to ride it when your in the area: http://www.montcopa.org/parks/schuylkillrivertrail.htm. The trail now runs more than 23 miles. The teams love to ride there as much as I do. That is where I usually get my workout. On Friday I was out before 8am for a ride and rode to Manayunk to ride "the Wall". If you do not know what that is...it a steep climb that US Pro riders must ride up 10 times during the 156 mile race (see link to procyclingtour.com for elevation map). It is a killer . Near the top a local TV station was doing an interview with Dotsie Cowden of team T-Mobile. After her interview we got to talking and I ended up riding with Dotsie, Rick - Dotsie’s manager, and Amy from T-Mobile. It was a very pleasant ride out to Norristown which is 10-15 miles out and then back into the city. I got to converse with all three of them the whole way. One of my favorite questions to ask is: "What is it like climbing the WALL?" or "How fast are you going on the WALL?" Most answer they do not know. I guess they are to focused on the task at hand. Tim Johnson of Team Prodir answered, "I know that I am in the big ring at mid climb. Other than that, I have no idea." The best answer to date is from Dostie. She said, "I am suffering to much to know". Once back in the city, we said our good-byes and I started my ride back out of the city toward home. I rode up on Rinaldo Nocentini, Ruggero Marzoli, Denis Bertolini, and Alessandro Donati, all of Team Aqua y Sapone, heading out of town. They were out for a light recovery ride out of the city. They were hot off a win in Trenton, NJ the night before as Team member Fred Rodriguez took first place in the race. They were pacing at 20-22 mph. That is faster than I usually ride. But I hung in there. I know that they did not like me behind them at first as the tone of their voices and hard stares back denoted. They were speaking Italian. And you know when people are talking about you no matter what language. I think they were saying, "Who is this guy, lets shake him." They tried a few times but I keep on getting back in. At one point, slow car/truck traffic stopped them, allowing me time to catch up. I think I gained some respect from these Pros on a short climb a few blocks later. They tried to clothesline me against the mirrors of the parked cars. I just pushed ahead and a hung in. I smoked two of them up the short incline. Once we regrouped on the bike trail a mile later...Their tone was more pleasant. In fact, we tried to talk a little. Hard to do. I do not speak Italian and they only speak a little English (although I think they speak and understand more than they let on). They told me that the US Pro cycling is very fast. They were going 50 km during the Trenton race. That is around 32mph for 91 miles for just under 3 hours. Then Alessandro took off in a sprint. I launched to chase him down. The others chanted, "Go! Go get him!" I had to run him down at speeds over 30mph. It was awesome. I was able to catch and sprint past him, only to run out of steam and have him fly by me 20 yards later. A mile later was my turn off from the bike path to go home. I said goodbye and promised to cheer them on as they climbed "the Wall" on Sunday. What an experience. I was drained, but it was well worth it.
Saturday, 06/05/2004
Raining. Got the bike tuned up.
Sunday, 06/06/2004
Race day. It must really suck to be at the Tour De France and only see your favorite riders in a blur of colors as they come through your town at 30 mph plus. I watched and cheered as the teams climbed on up the WALL. It is always very exciting to watch live. It is a giant party for four blocks. We listen for the helicopters. It lets us know that the riders are going to soon be here. Because this race is a circuit, I get to see the riders 10 times during the race. I can see their faces. The pain, the focus, the agony.
Monday, 06/07/2004
Recovery day for many. Rode into the city. Saw several teams out for a light ride day before leaving town. Stopped and talked to several riders. Great conversation even in broke English. You can always hear their enthusiasm for the sport of cycling come through no matter what language they speak.
Great weekend. I am still on cloud nine.
