Pelotonia 2024 Ride Report

Thank you to everyone who supports this great cause - whether through donations, riding and raising funds, volunteering in support of the event, or all of the above. The Pelotonia volunteers are especially incredible and help make the event enjoyable for all of the riders even as we push ourselves past our limits.

Thank you to TRC and Advanced Mobility Solutions (AMS) for sponsoring this ride and assisting with our registration and fundraising. Although we are a small team, I'm proud that we punched above our weight to help #endcancer!

This is my third year riding for Pelotonia , and all three have been riding the 100 mile route ending in Gambier on the campus of Kenyon College . However, all three routes have been different. For 2024 we headed more East-North, with previous routes (to the best of my knowledge) running more East-North-Northeast. Rest stops are shown with blue pins:

My previous two rides were also different in that there wasn't any weather drama. For 2024, the weather forecast had me expecting my first wet ride.

Thankfully, the forecast shifted in our favor Friday night. We appeared set for a mostly (or entirely!) dry ride. We could put the nightmare of 5 hours in spongy socks to rest.

Still a bit tired but excited, I set off with my Orro Bikes LTD Venturi and a great group from Galena Cycling Club to the infamous starting chute.

The volunteers were out in force and helped to get us ready to rock, and one even had a great safety check-in:

Yes, I do- thanks!

The starting 'chute' is a magical place where volunteers get us funneled in and pumped up to tackle the task ahead of us, heading to the start line of our respective routes for the day. (it is also nerve wracking as we all get rolling and do our best to navigate traffic)

We were counted in and released right on time at 7:00a with tons of fanfare and cheering. It is incredible and humbling to experience the support and enthusiasm for this cause.

Our ride group stayed together and navigated through and around traffic for the first ten miles or so, with a plan in place to skip the first two rest stops - instead pushing to the 34 mile mark.

< - - - - no picture available - - - - >

We were so excited to get back at it that it never even occurred to me to snap a picture. PB&J fuel, water and electrolytes, and some minor mechanical attention for a group member from Geoff at VeloScience Bike Works (thank you!) and we were back on the road headed toward Granville.

The stretch through Granville has always been the highlight of every ride to date, and did not disappoint this year. Turnout was incredible, and the energy was high. Having both sides of the street lined with a crowd cheering you on is a luxury normally reserved for cyclists at the highest level, but Granville gives that to us normal riders too.

Our group was still averaging over 20mph for the total ride at this point, which was surprising given the traffic of the first few miles. With some fuel, hydration, stretching, and another quick mechanical adjustment done, we left my favorite stop headed for some hills.

Leaving Granville is a chore, because we head right into a sustained climb after letting our muscles tighten up at the rest stop. We all made it through with a little help from the pickle juice shots (no, not a typo) and pushed on toward our next rest stop.

After skipping the first two rest stops, we planned on hitting every single one for the remainder of the ride. It was great that we were still dry at this point - give or take some mist/drizzle here and there - but even better that the overcast skies were keeping us from baking too much.

Our group split somewhere in this next segment, dropping from about ten to only six. Unfortunately, that meant we all needed to step up with a bit more effort.

Pulling in at our 70 mile rest stop I was starting to feel some tiring legs, and looking at our ride summary made it seem warranted - we were still tracking at an average total pace above 20mph.

The consensus in the group was to opt-in to some extra hills after leaving the Licking Valley rest stop at mile 70. Contrary to the smile you see above, my legs were not excited about this. Resigned and cautiously optimistic, we headed out.

Somewhere in the extra hill section - maybe the second or third hill - I was too far into the red and had to drop from the group. I stuck to my pace for the rest of the hill, mentally appreciating my good fortune to ride in this event and all the positive impacts Pelotonia has in our communities and around the world.

Once I hit the last peak, I was determined to rejoin the group and pushed hard into the descents. I caught them a couple miles before our last rest stop and hoped that I still had enough in the tank to stay with them until the finish.

< - - - - no picture available - - - - >

It was all I could do to push food in quickly at this last stop and refill my bottles with electrolytes. Rachel Kurzeja was a terrific supporter in getting me turned around, helping me cool down a bit, and focusing me on the finish. (thank you!)

It was at this point that I hit the dreaded food wall. I did not want to eat anything, but had to force in a couple PB&Banana sandwich wedges and the final shot of pickle juice knowing more hills were coming.

The group was again planning to opt-in to extra hills. I was fairly sure at this point that I would not be doing that, but figured my legs would make the decision for me at that point. As it turns out, I didn't even have to wait that long.

At about this point in the route I knew I was running on fumes. I again dropped from the group, knowing the extra hills weren't in my future. Unfortunately, this also meant that the last 8 or so miles would all be solo, requiring extra effort from me if I was to maintain the same pace.

Coming over a crest at about mile 95 I could see rain ahead. The only thing I remember at this point is feeling ready to put this ride in the books. There ended up being one more upside to riding ending the ride solo: Not getting road grime sprayed in my face for the last three miles.

The sharp 90 degree turn into the finishing chute was extra treacherous as a complete puddle, but I was able to muster a little extra energy and sprint to the line.

A big thank you to this group, and to the whole massive Pelotonia team.

Ending Cancer. Together.