Raisin Hope with the Vixens
Today a bunch of the Velo Vixens headed down to Dalton, GA to participate in the Raisin Hope Charity Ride. The event was organized by local pro cyclist Saul Raisin (team Crédit Agricole) to benefit the Shepherd Center, a spinal cord injury rehab hospital down in Atlanta that was crucial in Saul's recover from a serious bike crash overseas last April. Riders could choose from 3 ride lengths: 13, 35 & 50. Of course, we opted for the 50 miler, which included the climb up Fort Mountain.
Dalton is only 30 minutes south, so we drove down that morning. Unfortunately we weren't ready to make the 8am start with the group. We didn't have to start then, but this was my first road cycling event and I thought it would be cool to do so. I got a bit ancy, but once we starting rolling, all was good - and it was fun to pass people of course :) I had to get in the mindset that this was an event, not a race!
We had a 14mile warmup before we started the climb. Dalton sits around 800', with the summit of Fort Mtn a bit over 2800'. Luckily the grade was very doable and I just spun it on up (afterall, wasn't I still in recovery mode from the CPZ AR last weekend?!) It went on forever, but really wasn't as bad as I had expected! (When Rebecca & I drove over it on our way to Helen I was getting a bit concerned). The group reconvened up top before beginning the descent (which was the same route we had just climbed). Going down was ok, but I still get freaked out with speed. The switchbacks weren't too bad so I was able to let loose a bit more than normal. Still, I was the last one down! (but I was the first one up... so does that count for something?!) That descent really took a lot out of me (funny, as most people relax here! me, just stress + tension...). We had another 20 miles to go and I started to drag on a bit. I have trouble with the whole drafting/paceline thing, so I was usually fighting the wind myself. With about an hour to go, I got a bad pain at the bottom of my neck / inbetween my shoulders that lowered my spirits a bit. (It's not an unusual thing - had it a few times last weekend during the paddle and toward the end of long biking sessions). But regardless of these little downers, getting to the finish was great. In fact, the whole day was pretty amazing. After the ride, a big bbq was served (ok, so not my ideal lunch, but I can still appreciate it), great items raffled off, and tents from vendors to peruse. Pro cyclists Kevin Livingston & Nathon O'Neill were also present. The Vixens tracked down Saul to get a quick pick before headed back home (we had a booth at the Outdoor Expo going on at Coolidge Park).
> see more pics here
Dalton is only 30 minutes south, so we drove down that morning. Unfortunately we weren't ready to make the 8am start with the group. We didn't have to start then, but this was my first road cycling event and I thought it would be cool to do so. I got a bit ancy, but once we starting rolling, all was good - and it was fun to pass people of course :) I had to get in the mindset that this was an event, not a race!
We had a 14mile warmup before we started the climb. Dalton sits around 800', with the summit of Fort Mtn a bit over 2800'. Luckily the grade was very doable and I just spun it on up (afterall, wasn't I still in recovery mode from the CPZ AR last weekend?!) It went on forever, but really wasn't as bad as I had expected! (When Rebecca & I drove over it on our way to Helen I was getting a bit concerned). The group reconvened up top before beginning the descent (which was the same route we had just climbed). Going down was ok, but I still get freaked out with speed. The switchbacks weren't too bad so I was able to let loose a bit more than normal. Still, I was the last one down! (but I was the first one up... so does that count for something?!) That descent really took a lot out of me (funny, as most people relax here! me, just stress + tension...). We had another 20 miles to go and I started to drag on a bit. I have trouble with the whole drafting/paceline thing, so I was usually fighting the wind myself. With about an hour to go, I got a bad pain at the bottom of my neck / inbetween my shoulders that lowered my spirits a bit. (It's not an unusual thing - had it a few times last weekend during the paddle and toward the end of long biking sessions). But regardless of these little downers, getting to the finish was great. In fact, the whole day was pretty amazing. After the ride, a big bbq was served (ok, so not my ideal lunch, but I can still appreciate it), great items raffled off, and tents from vendors to peruse. Pro cyclists Kevin Livingston & Nathon O'Neill were also present. The Vixens tracked down Saul to get a quick pick before headed back home (we had a booth at the Outdoor Expo going on at Coolidge Park).
> see more pics here
Labels: ga, road biking, velo vixens
posted by cathi at 9:04 PM
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