My Garmin read 100.9 miles meaning that for me, the 2019 Tour de Whatcom was in the books.
Before the ride, my wife and I were trying to figure out if if this was my 3rd or 4th time, but couldn’t come to a definite conclusion, so just left it out there as a question that might remain unanswered.
However, during the ride there were hours upon hours to mindlessly ponder the question. 2015, or 16, or ? The years didn’t really work to figure it out, but at about mile 85 or so climbing up from the Birch Bay rest stop to Grandview Rd. the answer came to me, and not in the form of years, but rather from replaying events my journey back to a modicum of fitness.
- There was the first time where I was so fat that I couldn’t ride with my hands on the drops and was really wondering whether or not I would finish. I did finish, but not without feeling it for at least the next week or so.
- Then there was the second time where I was still pretty fat, but I put a riser stem on my bars so I could ride on the drops and still breathe even while being like 270 lbs fat. I only walked crooked for 4-5 days and then was ok.
- Then there was last year when I had dropped my weight down to 215 and finished pretty tired but never concerned that I wouldn’t finish. Recovery was just a day or two of light fatigue.
- Then this year where I had put back on a few pounds after chasing my weight down last year, but feeling an overall improvement in my general fitness level that seems to have served me well on this ride. Still never a racer, but finished feeling really pretty good. Along the ride, I could feel the few pounds I’ve regained on every uphill grade, but I was still able to pump hard and have a quick recovery so I was ready for the next hill.
So I am certain that this was my 4th TDW and am looking forward to next year being my 5th, and so on, and so on, and so on.
Also a plus items for this ride was fueling naturally rather than with Gatorade and/or sugary goo. I ate home made energy bars most with just dates, cashews, and hemp seeds, a couple also had cocoa nibs for a little bit of caffeine and chocolate flavor. All of them were rolled in coconut flour because I have a genius wife who recognized that I was begging for a baggy full of sticky mess if I didn’t. I also used straight coconut water as an additional electrolyte booster. Nutrition was spot on for the ride.
The ride itself was again well organized and an overall well laid out and clearly marked route. I do think a lot of people, including myself, missed the turn north on Washington/Van Buren in Everson due to the name confusion as well as the general busyness in Everson at just the wrong time, but that was a small thing and easily corrected, really nothing to speak of at all.
Ready for 2020 registration now.
Relive ‘Tour de Whatcom 2019’