A year ago, I had never heard of the Great Cycle Challenge. I hadn’t really cycled too much since 2014-15, so it’s no surprise I hadn’t heard of it. After Ethen’s cancer diagnosis last April, and lots of restless hours in the hospital with him, I had to do something to maintain my own mental and physical health. I started jogging, which turned into running. Eventually, as our family was able to spend more time at home, I got back into biking.
After cycling a total of 350-400 miles in the fall, I took the winter off because I didn’t have the right gear to ride in the cold. This was a terrible mistake—the pain of getting my legs back this spring was the same as it had been after 2-3 years. At any rate, I hopped back on my bike in April and eventually got my legs back. I had no intention of doing any challenges or competitions this year. I was just cycling for the joy of it—getting exercise and fresh air were nice corollaries. That’s when I heard of the Great Cycle Challenge. The vision of the Great Cycle Challenge was compelling, particularly since my own son had been fighting cancer for the past year. Their vision is “a world without cancer where all kids are living life, NOT fighting for it.” Who doesn’t want that? There are obviously other ways to fight cancer, but if you’ve got a bike and have time for exercise, why not participate?! It doesn’t matter how far, or how fast you ride. You set your own goal and go for it.
Well, I was ambitious. I thought, if I’m going to participate in this “challenge,” then it has to be challenging. I figured 20 miles a day was doable, but it was also more than my daily average. 600 miles. 1 month. Do it to it.
The month started pretty easy with 16 mile days. This was mainly because I did the Keep Pounding 5k race on June 2nd, which toasted my legs. I took it easy so my legs could recover. A few lax days adds up quickly though. I had to catch up and stay committed to my daily 20. By the end of the first week my legs were tight and tired. No worries though, family vacation was coming up and I would have flat terrain to cover at the beach. The flat terrain was nice, but the ocean breeze was brutal. Turns out 20 miles is 20 miles wherever you ride.
After the first two weeks I found a rhythm and my legs got used to the daily regimen. It wasn’t easy, but now I knew what to expect. In week 3, the first 5 miles of every ride were warm-up miles. After that I could settle into a comfortable breathing rate and pedaling pace. By the last week of the challenge my warm-up miles gradually extended from 5 to 8 or 10 miles.
To finish off the month, my father-in-law and I had spoken back in early May about riding a segment of the Blue Ridge Parkway at the end of June. It coincided perfectly with a grand finale to the Great Cycle Challenge. It turned out to be a beautiful day. Scenic mountain-top vistas, climbs through tree-lined sections of the parkway, and sloping stretches through Virginia’s rustic farmland made for a pleasing finish to what had been a daily grind during the challenge.
The Great Cycle Challenge is what you make it. I wanted to challenge myself for my son. He’s had an awful year. I’ve seen his pain—my pain was nothing like his pain. It’s hard to sit by and watch your kid suffer. That’s why I’m thankful for organizations like the Great Cycle Challenge that do something to fight kids’ cancer. Thank you Great Cycle Challenge! Thank you supporters! Let’s kick cancer’s butt!
Brian P. Baucom 