Remember that one?

Do you ever think about that time on the bike? What do I mean? That time when you knew you wanted to do this riding stuff for the rest of your life..

Well this post is about that day.. That summer evening in Hillsborough, NJ somewhere in September or August of the year 2011.. At a local Club race event..

The race itself is a well organized event for a small amount of people, during the 3 years i was riding with this group I can't recall seen more then 40 of 50 people at the time during the peek of this races. yes 40 or 50 people racing together in open roads with traffic can be dangerous but here is where the "handicap" starts playing a great effect in splitting the groups for various reasons:

1- Safety..! Is much easier for cars to go around 4 or 6 riders at the time then 40.. Right?
2- Competition..! everyone has more fun if they know they have chance of getting away and winning.

At any given event of this Club CRCofA will be any amounts of groups set to go at 6 pm from the Woodfern Elementary School..
Between each group will be a time gap of 2 minutes, sometimes 3 according to the level of the riders that start after each group..

With the slower riders starting at 6 and the faster ones following after them in intervals of 2 minutes like was mentioned above..
The course is very much the same every Thursday... A loop around 8 miles long with a little bit of everything, OK we are missing a proper climb here but believe me there is a few short steep hills that I learned to hate on the beginning of my racing days with them..

So you understand a bit of what is coming this is me (already lost a ton of weight here! I was bigger when the ride itself took place)

So after the introduction now you are ready to know what the race, Well to me was more like an introduction to racing looked like right?

Summer evening in NJ, hot and humid...  Remember this was my beginning.. I was set to go with the slower group..! No wait..! I left by my self 1 minute before the slower group..!! because I knew the first part of the course... On the first group was the older riders and the new riders.. And not this is not offensive I am saying older riders with lots of respect for them..!  Specially after they passed me in the first part of the course like I was standing on the side of the route.. I kind off held their wheel for a few minutes... To me holding a wheel meant I could see them for a while...

The fun didn't last long at all as we hit the rail road bridge.. Man I hated that bridge a little more after each lap..!! Not long but steep.. I was still getting used to the gear changing stuff.. So quiet often I was on the wrong gear going up that thing.. suffering and I think I walked up to it once or twice (and that's all you are getting from me)

By the second lap around this circuit when we were going "again" over this bridge and after hitting a lot of other rollers and going as fast as I ever went on the bike I was cooked..! Done! Finito! Kaput! and still had to finish 1 and 1/2 lap more..!?? Here was coming the bridge again.. When Mr Frank pulls next to me and grabs me by my gym shorts and t-shirt and pulls me over the bridge..

Now at that moment I felt a lot of different feeling in me.. Shame! Lets face it, no one likes to be slower and weaker then the old man. I did my best to finish the second lap, didn't even try to go for the third one rolled quiet and deep in my thoughts about what just happened to me...

Stayed by the finish line still thinking about what happened and watch everyone crossing the line.. net to Mr Frank since he is the one keeping track of all the results and points and all that.. I was quiet.. Clapping as everyone was crossing the line..

Now you read Mr Frank here a few times right? He is close to 70 if not there already (sorry if I am wrong Mr F) cancer survivor, at that point he was going for treatment 2 times a week if I remember correctly... And this was the guy pushing me from behind on every little bump on the route and waiting for me and trying to pace me on the flats..

Here is a pic of him with Felix and his 2 granddaughters

Like him there was is a lot of people at the CRCofA.. And that is the ride I remember, the people I remember and you know what? This day after everything was done and I was home showered and trying to understand all of it.. If to continue or not...

That day..Yes that day I decided to become a cyclist..! 

Just to be one of those old guys riding their bikes if i get there..

Do you remember yours?

Thanks for reading..

Till next time.

Pablo Alves