Flying Wheels 2024
This was the second year of riding Flying Wheels and this year I was also an Outrider for Cascade Bicycle Club. I thought about doing the 70-mile or century ride, but with only a couple of days until we leave for our bike tour in Europe, I didn’t want to risk getting injured and have my vacation ruined.
I arrived around 8:30, checked in and was about to start when I overheard another rider asking what he could do since he forgot his cycling googles. I had a spare pair in my car, so I offered to loan them to him. I told him to just give them to one of the Cascade staff members if he couldn’t find me at the end of the ride. Then I took off for my 50-mile route.
I was only around seven miles into my ride when I came upon a bike crash. The woman had hit her cheek when she fell, so she had a big spot of abrasion on it along with abrasions on her fingers and a deep cut on her knee. I pulled out my big first aid kit and patched her up. By this time, the adrenaline was wearing off and she was starting to shake and get dizzy. I had her lay on her back with her knees bent until the SAG car arrived to transport her back to the start.
Just before the 20-mile rest stop, I made a quick stop at Carnation Farms to pick up the lamb offal that was missing from my order last week. I had taken an extra pannier just to pick up this frozen meat. Between my extra battery, the frozen meat, bike tools and first aid kit, I was probably carrying an extra 26-30 pounds on the back of my bike. This made it really challenging on the many hills I had to ride.
Both food and comfort stations had very long lines at the Carnation rest stop. I hadn’t eaten any breakfast, so I was starving. I scarfed down half a banana, some pretzels and a pickle before making a pit stop at the honey bucket. After taking a few photos, I was off again.
During the rest of the ride, I was literally flying! I was going around 21mph on the flats and passing everyone. It also starting to rain for a bit and I donned my jacket. Luckily it only last about 30 minutes or so.
About three miles from the finish, I stopped to lend support to a rider who had a flat. He was putting his tire back on the rim and I lent him my Tyre Monkey to make it easier. I also had a compressor pump so he didn’t have to work so hard to get air into the tube. I rode the rest of the way back with him in case he had more problems with the tire (he was unsure if he patched it sufficiently).
At the finish, I grabbed a sausage with grilled onions and added some hot peppers to it, too. So good!
I checked in with Maxwell and let him know that someone might be dropping off some googles and that they were mine.
When I got home, I got a text from the rider who borrowed my goggles. He left them with Maxwell and as a thank you, he made a donation to Cascade in my name. So, I guess I hoped out Cascade in several ways today.
