The day had finally arrived; the day of the Rapha Women’s 100! This ride, organized by Rapha, is a celebration of women in the cycling community meant to showcase solidarity and strength. On a global scale, the 100km ride is completed on the same day where literally thousands of women (persons that gender identify as women and transgender included) participate. I rode in the advanced group this morning with twenty-seven others. I met the group at the George Washington Bridge (GWB) since I live a 5 minute ride away from there. The route followed Hudson River Road, then turned off onto Closter Dock, route 501 through state line, Greenbush Road and finally into Nyack. Being that it was the advanced ride, the route was meant to be challenging and peppered with climbs. I had never ridden most of these roads before, my usual loop takes me up Alpine and down 9w, so it was nice to do something different. After a week of solid rain, the Sun finally came out this morning as a warm welcome to our ride. The temperature was around 75 degrees with about 80% humidity, though there was a soft cool breeze on occasion which made the humidity more bearable.

Feeling like I had a lot of energy, I began the ride at a fast pace. Going up the Great Wall climb, I was the second person to finish. We regrouped at the top and I bumped into one of my friends so I dropped towards the back to chat. Something that I enjoy about these large high profile group rides is that a lot of people do them and that gives the opportunity to reconnect with riders you haven’t seen in a while. I am relatively new to the cycling world having only ridden for a year. It’s difficult to break into a new sport and get to know everyone so it is helpful to go to social events. I attended the end of the season women’s development series party a few days ago and was able to meet a lot of fellow cyclists. A few of those girls attended the Rapha Women’s 100 as well so it was nice to see some familiar faces.

 There was no intermediate group option in NYC so the pack began to separate for the remainder of the ride. At the top of Alpine, we took about a thirty-minute pitstop at the Rangers Station. Here, I met some riders and had some good conversations while I snacked on some ProBar Bolt Strawberry Chews. Unfortunately, we found out that a girl in the beginner group had crashed and was taken to the hospital. Last we heard, she was okay and hospitalization was just a precautionary measure.

We rolled out like bats out of hell ready to take on the next bit of the journey. The road narrowed and we had to paceline for a while. The group became separated into three parts. Coach Tara and her group in the lead, Jennifer in the middle, and Karen at the back. I was comfortably sailing along in Jennifer’s group. I had never been up Tweed before, but I found it to be more pleasant than Alpine, though it was still a challenge. The rolling hills through the woods gave the route a storybook feel to it. I am happy that we went this way because now I have a new path that I can bike along. After the descent, which was a steep downhill segment followed by more climbing, we regrouped and had an easy finish into Nyack.

This was only the second time I had ever biked into Nyack. The town is quaint with a bunch of cute places to grab food. Our halfway stopping point was at the Runcible Spoon Bakery.  This establishment was very clearly a cyclist haven similar to The 9W Market. Peoples bikes overflowed the racks and were lined up along the walls around the building. Cyclists buzzed in and out, the line for food stretching around the corner. It was very nice of them to have a large water cooler available to us to refill our bidons. This was the first time I really experienced the full effect of what including myself into the cycling community was like. Sure, I’ve been around other cyclists, but never even close to so many at one time. While others bought lunch or ate the snacks they brought, I sat on the curb, chatted with some friends, and met some new ones. Hanging out around so many cyclists was supper cool. We shared stories about races and rides we’ve done, talked about what gear and apparel we liked, and made suggestions to each other.

 After taking the traditional group shot, we left for the last leg of our journey towards the Rapha Clubhouse on Prince Street. By the time we reached the market, I felt like I was beginning to bonk so I ate the granola bar in my pocket. I took it relatively slow to the meeting point at Kiku Alpine. Unfortunately, one of our group members could not continue and was relegated to following along in the Rapha Team Car. The beginner group met up with us, then we rolled out again. Karen and I were heading a double paceline when my tube sounded like it exploded. Pulling off to the side of the road to change my flat was upsetting. I was very grateful that Karen stayed behind to help me out. My spare tube would not hold air and Karen’s spare tube was too large for my rim so she called the Rapha team car to come and rescue us. The Rapha team car was a life saver. The men in charge of the car had a floor pump and a tube that fit. They helped us change the tire and sent us along on our way to complete the ride. Ironically, the Rapha team car stopped about one hundred and fifty feet down the road to help another rider who got a flat. By the time we got there, the flat was fixed and we were able to continue along as a group. Julia and Karen led the way and we practically flew the remaining miles. After the bridge, I peeled off and went home.

I learned a lot of things from completing my first mass group ride and I think that they are some things that newer riders should know. First off, it is important to preview the route before you ride it. This will help you in case you become separated from the pack as well as to help you gauge if you can handle the ride or not. In association with this, having a buddy system is a life saver. You should always have at least one person in the group that you can keep pace with as well as someone else’s phone number that you can call/text in case you take a wrong turn, get a flat, etc. Knowing your limits is something that you should also be aware of. Don’t push yourself passed the brink because this is how injuries occur. In keeping with the subject of safety, having a flat repair kit in your saddle bag is a must. I always carry a set of allen keys, tire levers, a patch kit, and a spare tube with me. What I learned was that you should check your spare tube to make sure it inflates before you pack it in your saddle bag. If I had done this, I would have known that the tube was damaged and packed a different one.

When going out for a long ride, I learned that it is a good idea to bring a small tube of suntan lotion as well as a travel packet of chamois cream to reapply at rest stops. Prevention is the key when it comes to saddle sores and sunburn. On the topic of rest stops, it is important to take full advantage of them. I learned that using the restroom while you can is probably a smart idea. Practically bursting at the seams when you have a flat is not a fun place to be in. Nutrition is also an important practice. Normally during a ride I don’t eat so I thought that I didn’t need to during the midpoint of our ride. I was wrong. Eating is a sure fire way to prevent bonking, especially during a six hour long ride. Skipping meals is essentially counterproductive.

In the future, I would like to participate in more rides like this one. I had a really great time, made some friends, biked along some nice new routes, and learned some important lessons about long group rides. I would also like to give a special thanks to the Rapha ride leaders for doing an incredible job as well as the men in the Rapha team car. The organization and execution of this ride was top notch. I can’t wait until next year!