Katherine here! Feeling in decent spirits after an eventful last couple days. Yesterday was a particularly momentous occasion: it was my first day back on the bike after my knee injury.
Changing Parth’s (second) flat.
As you might know, I’ve spent the past couple weeks off the bike. Over that period of time, I’ve secretly nurtured a growing feeling of fear and apprehension. From the at-times lonely vantage point of the minivan, I watched my teammates get more and more comfortable on their bikes, quickly leveling up past their beginner stage while I stayed stunted, mentally and physically at Day 1. I worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up once I started biking again, and worried even more that I would hold the team back. I didn’t know if my knee would hold up. I envisioned myself fumbling with my cleats, huffing and puffing on inclines that my teammates handled with ease, and maybe even had a nightmare or two about losing control of my bike, careening into the highway, and getting run over by a truck. Oops.
And at first, it seemed like that prophecy would come true. I started my first leg, part of the way from Ely to Baker, on a steep downhill. Big mistake. Immediately, my bike picked up speed and started shooting down the Nevada mountainside at speeds I’d never reached before. I could barely keep my bike from wobbling violently in the powerful crosswinds, and my hands were trembling from gripping my overly loose brakes. More than mildly terrified, I stopped on the side of the road and Sophia, who’d been keeping an eye on me (<3), stopped to help me tighten my brakes.
Rest stop Aja is never without her yoga mat.
When we set off again, I had a newfound determination to make it to the next rest stop. And a few minutes later, it clicked. I let my bike accelerate and loosened up my legs. I fixed my gaze on the road ahead of me instead of the ground whizzing past right below my tires. I leaned forward and stabilized my body against the wind. I made it down the mountain, and then some, feeling the smile on my face as I took in the sprawling views: fields of wind turbines and orange mountains in the distance. Pumped full of adrenaline, I sprinted the last bit once I saw Ody (and Joel and Vincent) waiting for us at the rest stop. Sophia and Aja later told me how impressed they were with how I handled the descent (apparently we reached nearly 40 mph!) and Timothy commented on how well I kept up with the group. And while I do think they were just being super nice trying to hype me up, I also really appreciate their kind words, and I’m proud of how I handled the ride, all things considered.
Becky’s homemade ice cream, the Betty Crocker way!
I decided to rest the last leg into Baker, and then the whole day today. While my knee is doing okay, I definitely need to ease into strenuous activity again, and I’ve learned a lot about listening to my body over the past couple weeks, so I’ll take it easy. I enjoyed relaxing and napping in the Parth car today, and also wonderful soul-healing dinners prepared by Vincent and Joel yesterday in Baker and by our hosts Becky and Dick today in Delta, Utah (seriously, they made us homemade ice cream!!).
Excited to be back on the bike again tomorrow. Good night!
Katherine