Saturday, October 16, 5:00 a.m. -
intersection of Molynes Road and Washington Boulevard
Dressed in tightly knitted shirts, shorts, gloves and helmets, and armed with water bottles, Gatorade and Nutribars, we gripped our finely tuned bicycles - eager to go.
You could feel the anticipation in the air. Some members of the group had made this ride before (up to 11 times) but for others, like me, this was our first time battling the road to Negril. We had been advised to keep hydrated, eat constantly (as we would be burning the calories), and not to play the hero.
And, of course, we had all heard the stories of how the hills turn into mountains that never stop coming, attacking you - especially the notorious Melrose Hill in Manchester - and the treacherous climb into Mandeville with the sun beating down on you.
ON THE ROAD
Those are the stories, this was my reality:We kept a steady pace going through St. Andrew and St. Catherine. IntoClarendon, we took the May Pen bypass, rode through Clarendon Park (Toll Gate) where we stopped for water before rolling through Porus, Williamsfield and finally into Mandeville, Manchester.
MANDEVILLE
The water in my bottle was now the temperature of a hot cup of tea. Riding up the hills into Mandeville my heart rate had reached limits that I had never experienced. I was forced to slow down to bring it back down or risk a cardiac arrest - choices, choices.
Finally the climb into Mandeville (9:14 a.m. and 58 miles) was over and we stopped to get water, eat and catch our breath before heading out.
SPUR TREE
On the way out of Mandeville the road damaged the tyres of two riders. We quickly repaired them and then continued. The approach to Spur Tree had many undulating hills that take its toll on the finest of riders. We battled muscle fatigue and kept going. Finally we began the descent of Spur Tree, firstrelaxing a bit and coasting into the descent but then we quickly increased our speeds from a mere 26 mph to 35 mph.
That not being enough, some of us decided to attack it. We slipped into our highest gear and applied additional pressure to cranks. On a straight away Iglimpsed at my clock - 52 mph. With a hairpin bend approaching I carefully squeezed my brakes and leaned hard into it. I powered out of the corner. The heavy vehicles have left the road surface of this seven-mile hill fairly uneven so at such speeds the bumps gave a serious beating to the elbows and wrists. The descent was over as we welcomed the Pedro plains and the town of Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, with the sun beating down on us - little or no clouds in the sky.
ST. ELIZABETH
We rode through Holland Bamboo - wishing that Hurricane Ivan had not thinned out the once thick lush bamboo avenue which would have guaranteed us some well needed miles of shade.
No stopping for shrimps as the paced picked up passing through Middle Quarters, the sweltering midday sun continuing to play havoc as we countered it with quarts and quarts of water and Gatorade in an attempt to replenish the lost nutrients from our very tired bodies.
Our next scheduled stop was to be the UniPet station in Luana but two miles before that we made a unanimous decision to stop and refuel with liquids from our support vehicle travelling behind us.
WESTMORELAND
Next stop, lunch at 11:30 a.m. in Luana. We rested, stretched and repaired equipment before pushing of at 12:19. We rode for another hour and 15 minutes which took us to the capital of Savanna-la-Mar.
One of tales often told is about the afternoon rain - always a welcome sight.But no amount of prayers and dance could entice this visitor on this day as the temperature soared to a 105 degrees Fahrenheit, sucking every bit of energy from our bodies - at least mine.
Not giving in, we continued to press our pedals and watched the 140-mile ride diminish mile by mile as we rolled our way into the town of Negril and Point Village, our final destination.
Battle was done, but who was the victor? Come next year, same time when the war of the road will again be waged.
Contributed
See Photo's below
intersection of Molynes Road and Washington Boulevard
Dressed in tightly knitted shirts, shorts, gloves and helmets, and armed with water bottles, Gatorade and Nutribars, we gripped our finely tuned bicycles - eager to go.
You could feel the anticipation in the air. Some members of the group had made this ride before (up to 11 times) but for others, like me, this was our first time battling the road to Negril. We had been advised to keep hydrated, eat constantly (as we would be burning the calories), and not to play the hero.
And, of course, we had all heard the stories of how the hills turn into mountains that never stop coming, attacking you - especially the notorious Melrose Hill in Manchester - and the treacherous climb into Mandeville with the sun beating down on you.
ON THE ROAD
Those are the stories, this was my reality:We kept a steady pace going through St. Andrew and St. Catherine. IntoClarendon, we took the May Pen bypass, rode through Clarendon Park (Toll Gate) where we stopped for water before rolling through Porus, Williamsfield and finally into Mandeville, Manchester.
MANDEVILLE
The water in my bottle was now the temperature of a hot cup of tea. Riding up the hills into Mandeville my heart rate had reached limits that I had never experienced. I was forced to slow down to bring it back down or risk a cardiac arrest - choices, choices.
Finally the climb into Mandeville (9:14 a.m. and 58 miles) was over and we stopped to get water, eat and catch our breath before heading out.
SPUR TREE
On the way out of Mandeville the road damaged the tyres of two riders. We quickly repaired them and then continued. The approach to Spur Tree had many undulating hills that take its toll on the finest of riders. We battled muscle fatigue and kept going. Finally we began the descent of Spur Tree, firstrelaxing a bit and coasting into the descent but then we quickly increased our speeds from a mere 26 mph to 35 mph.
That not being enough, some of us decided to attack it. We slipped into our highest gear and applied additional pressure to cranks. On a straight away Iglimpsed at my clock - 52 mph. With a hairpin bend approaching I carefully squeezed my brakes and leaned hard into it. I powered out of the corner. The heavy vehicles have left the road surface of this seven-mile hill fairly uneven so at such speeds the bumps gave a serious beating to the elbows and wrists. The descent was over as we welcomed the Pedro plains and the town of Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, with the sun beating down on us - little or no clouds in the sky.
ST. ELIZABETH
We rode through Holland Bamboo - wishing that Hurricane Ivan had not thinned out the once thick lush bamboo avenue which would have guaranteed us some well needed miles of shade.
No stopping for shrimps as the paced picked up passing through Middle Quarters, the sweltering midday sun continuing to play havoc as we countered it with quarts and quarts of water and Gatorade in an attempt to replenish the lost nutrients from our very tired bodies.
Our next scheduled stop was to be the UniPet station in Luana but two miles before that we made a unanimous decision to stop and refuel with liquids from our support vehicle travelling behind us.
WESTMORELAND
Next stop, lunch at 11:30 a.m. in Luana. We rested, stretched and repaired equipment before pushing of at 12:19. We rode for another hour and 15 minutes which took us to the capital of Savanna-la-Mar.
One of tales often told is about the afternoon rain - always a welcome sight.But no amount of prayers and dance could entice this visitor on this day as the temperature soared to a 105 degrees Fahrenheit, sucking every bit of energy from our bodies - at least mine.
Not giving in, we continued to press our pedals and watched the 140-mile ride diminish mile by mile as we rolled our way into the town of Negril and Point Village, our final destination.
Battle was done, but who was the victor? Come next year, same time when the war of the road will again be waged.
Contributed
See Photo's below
