Sunday morning, I woke up at 6:30 a.m. – more remarkably, I got Eric out of bed 15 minutes later – to bike the 50-mile route for the Ride for the Arts!
The 29th annual Miller Lite Ride for the Arts, benefiting the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF), kicked off at 7 a.m. on a brisk 40 degree Sunday morning and Eric and I were set to begin shortly thereafter at 7:15.
Groggy and cold, we arrived at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts where hundreds of people were already lined up in the middle of Water Street, eager to get going. The smell of gear grease and fresh coffee and the calm morning actually energized me and I quickly got revved up for the ride.
There were over 12,000 riders divided by courses and waiting in front of the Marcus Center for their start time. Since we preregistered for the ride a few weeks in advance, all we had to do was wait for the start of the next wave. We started in waves so that the ride wouldn’t be overly congested – those riding the longest courses (75 and 50-mile) started first. Finally, it was our turn and we filed into a pack of helmet-clad bicyclists and soon enough the ride began and the masses took off. After Eric and I crossed the starting line, our full speed – OK, maybe not “full” speed – 50-mile adventure began.
Most of Water Street, Michigan Street and the Lincoln Memorial Drive were blocked off for the beginning of the ride as we veered around city construction, working our way toward the lake. Despite the alternated start times, there were many riders packed tightly together for several miles. Actually, there were so many of us that all you could hear were the sounds of chains rotating, wheels spinning, brakes squeaking and shoes clipping in and out of pedals. It’s extremely fun riding with that many people, and something I’m not really used to. But because the pace was quite fast, the crowd began to spread out and span many miles.
The first 25 miles were cake! After we left Milwaukee, we gradually worked our way north through the suburbs. While cycling through the scenic towns of Shorewood and Bayside I tried to take my mind off of the bitter winds coming off the lake and my frozen hands by focusing on the gorgeous brick and stone houses and the magnificent views of Lake Michigan. At this point, we were going rather strong, bypassing groups of cyclists and maintaining a consistent speed.
As we passed through several subdivisions, we were welcomed by families sitting on folding chairs in their driveways, watching the swarms of bicyclists zip past and doling out high fives. Their cheers and greetings were definitely encouraging. Some kids even hopped onto their mountain bikes to challenge us to a race down the road, but they were eventually called back by their parents.
We kept on going, stopping at rest stops along the way to relax and replenish our exhausted bodies. Fresh water, Gatorade, and nutritional snacks like apples and bananas were provided by Whole Foods. Apparently, PowerBar was also a sponsor, but I never saw one of those. After stopping for a couple minutes to grab a much needed granola bar and a piece of fruit we ventured on. This time, it wasn’t so easy, though.
Gradually, city properties and the expansive lake gave way to verdant rolling rural land and hilly terrain. This is when I realized how worn-out my legs were, or more specifically, how horrible my arthritic knees felt. We went past farmland and countrified parks, up and down some trails that were literally in the middle of nowhere and along some back roads that were atrocious – they were composed of dusty gravel and bumpy parkways.
I’ll admit that I was having a difficult time at this point. The unbelievably frigid weather was definitely taking its toll on my body, but I was making a valiant effort! Many of the high-speed travelers began to pass me now, which was a little discouraging. I’m an enthusiastic bicyclist, but not quiet as avid as the clip shoe, Spandex-wearing semi-pros who were whipping past me on their street bikes.
In time, I got my head back on and we made our way back toward the city. By now, the wind had moved to our backs, which lifted our spirits, well, until the clouds rolled in and briefly unloaded on us with large pellets of rain. It rained about four more times along the final stretch, nothing terribly torrential or even long-lasting, but it still put a damper on the ride.
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