My first hundred and Vasco cycling club

It takes a whole village to bring up a child....well it took the entire Vasco cycling Club to bring out the cyclist in me who could complete a full hundred on the saddle

If the ride is not on strava then you have not ridden at all

From a being a academic geek throughout my life to being the endurance athlete (well, a  100km in 5:22 time qualifies by amateur standards) and facebook comments of being called the superwoman I have lots of people to thank for.

So this blog is more of a valedictory speech , so bear with me.

First things first.....

I used to ride a pink BSA Lady bird all my grown up years, through college, through my first job as a resident , a consultant ....till one day when I took the Sunday group ride with the Vasco Cycling Club. A guy, who has a way with words said that they are scared they would get tetanus from my Rusty.. Ouch.  A big eyed cyclist remarked if the cycle had ever seen sunlight and tar . A young cyclist just ruled me out when I wanted to join in for a long distance ride with them on my girl. Another cyclist made me try a cycle 3 times my size just to get me off my Rusty....ouch ouch ouch

The message was loud and clear.... Buy the Bike which is worth this Club

So here Comes Morphine{She is addicting n I cant get off her literally}– A hybrid but with a road biology” Marin Fairfax SC3 “after a lot of deliberation and research and a kind generous gesture from the husband

My breaking in the new cycle rides was full of kind advice from all the cyclicts members.A really sweet cyclist spent an entire long ride trailing with me till I got the hang of  the gears and to prevent cross chaining. But I was riding in the wrong gear all the time. An endurance guy told me my cadence was way too high n my gear low  n I will burn out...A high cadence guy told me I was riding in a very high gear n the cadence very low and it is a bad thing. Incidentally they were both brothers... A veteran told me now starts the real fun,” the gadgets that I need to add on to become a better cyclist is going to cost more than the bike” Hmmmm

What really got me hooked on the cycle was that they all cared and the Vasco cycling club had my back. Sunday rides were planned by the picturesque routes and the breakfast even more meticulously planned  . My paranoia about getting lost and being separated from the larger group also was addressed with fellow cyclists who would wait for the slow cyclist by the “definitely will be missed turns”

This was a cycling Walhalla....till ........

In a group there are all kinds of people. Marketing head of Vasco Cycling group sold me into signing up for the Xaxti 100 ... an upcoming endurance 100km cycling event

Now I could barely be on the saddle for an hour and a half.....grumble about the rolling hills,heat,my hunched back on the cycle...and I got sold  ...That is the skill of the marketing guys..They always sell a product that one can neither afford nor really enjoy but you walk out of the shop feeling on top of the world.

So here I had registered for the 100km event.. Next couple of weeks if anyone cared to steal my google search data and analyse it would reveal a “cyclopath personality”  I got nowhere..I have a doctor collegue cyclist to thank for his advice and time, which he so willingly shared inspite of his crazy times. I practiced hills, cadence, endurance, time trials in ways my crazy schedule would allow...And I thought I was ready to go. Ha

The club members had worked out small details like the waiver forms were not only collected from all of us, but also printed and kept ready for us to sign (just in case). Our club jerseys reached all of us in time for the event. Cyclist ,cars, racks, home made energy bars,support vehicles all arranged for the wee hours  in the morning-  All this precision  without  an officiating body...Just individual members working in well oiled togetherness.

On the day of the event I observed a few things

1.              Cycling is a sport of man and machine . Both play equal roles for best results. Better the roadie ,higher are the speeds
2.          Age has nothing to do with fitness. An endurance sport is played with the mind. Veterans competed with youngsters and won pedals down.
3.            In cycling we watch each others back.So heartening to see complete strangers help each other with flats, hydration, pep talk and whatever it takes to reach the finish line
4.         Endorphin release at the finish line is worth all the pain of being seated hunched and bunched for 5 h:22
5.      The joy of finshing the hundered is the same for all ,............................................................across timing (3:30vs5:30),cycles(roadie/ MTB/hybrid),age,gender.    
6. All is well that ends well.And I completed my first century just like that.Thanks Vasco cycling club for having my back and the saddle.This one is for all of you.

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