A Few Photos from the Ride!

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Yesterday's fundraising ride was the most difficult one that we've done. But "easy" hasn't been a frequently-used word in our vocabulary for quite some time. In fact "easy" might be contrary to the whole spirit of BORP. There's sometimes quite a distance between "fun" and "easy."





Learning to ride tandem, when one of the team is blind (as is the case in these photos) can't be easy, but it must be a hell of a lot of fun!



Handcycling isn't particularly easy, and from what I heard, the proximity to the broiling asphalt was rough.

It got up to 99 degrees yesterday.




Half of our team suffered from Heat Exhaustion. Let me just say that that's a GRIM experience, and one that I don't hope to repeat. We were all drinking water, as if it were our job, but that wasn't enough. I actually didn't finish the ride, and I still feel really conflicted about this. My body and brain were completely shutting down, and I know that stopping before things got worse was the right thing to do. But I still feel like a quitter.

I don't think anyone was prepared for the heat. I heard that the final rest stop for the 50, 60 and 100 mile rides ran out of water and ice. That must have been BRUTAL.

This wasn't the pumped-up "WHOO HOO" event of the past two year, but we're still really glad that we did it. Thanks again to everyone who supported us.

And if you had good intentions, but didn't get around to making a donation, you still can! Just click the photo on the right.

Comments

Thanks for sharing the photos! Lisa, you did the right thing by stopping before experiencing heat exhaustion. I didn't/couldn't stop one time (it was just me and my kids walking back to the car from a hike) and the symptoms/results really scared me. It took me several hours to recover enough to drive us home (about a 45 minute drive) and even then I was very shakey. I learned that STOPPING is by far the safest option. My experience could have been worse - if nothing else, what would my kids have done if I passed out on the trail!!!!??? (Besides stepping over me and kept on hiking ;-))
Lyn said…
Thanks for taking care of yourself. You are both winners in my book, now and always.

I love love love the picture of the two of you together.
Kellyann Brown said…
It was a very hot day... glad you both survived. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor (my mom always says that). Better to acknowledge what's going on than to make oneself sicker!
Cinderellen said…
You did the right thing to stop. Riding in extreme conditions is tough - I ride in that kind of heat all summer and it can be NO FUN. If you have not factored the temperatures into your training and hydration (water alone won't cut it) you can get yourself into serious trouble. Knowing when to step down needs to be part of your strategy.

The picture of you together is sweet. What a blessing that you are able to get out and do these things together.

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