Riverwest 24 Hour Bike Race - My First Time

July 24th, 2015 was the 8th annual run of the Riverwest 24 Hour Bike Race that goes through the Riverwest neighborhood of Milwaukee.  For years I've enjoyed the event from the sidelines: watching the riders, listening to bands, drinking with friends.  But this year was different.  I decided I wanted to ride in the race.

Jamis Quest Elite - Ready for the
Riverwest 24 Hour Race

About two years ago I bought my first road bike as an adult.  When I bought my Jamis Quest Elite I promised myself since I purchased a road bike, I needed to do the Riverwest 24.  The first year I was out of town on vacation and couldn't do it.  This year, I knew I would be home.  It was time.

Riverwest 24 Hour Bike Race - Solo

Riverwest 24 Hour Bike Race - Start

And not only was it time to ride this race, I decided I wanted to do it solo - ride my road bike for 24 hours.

I wanted to test my endurance, could I ride for 24 hours?  How could I perform against the riders who have done this before, some of them multiple times?  Could I get into my zone for that long?  I had no expectations except to ride as hard as I could for the entire race.  And lastly could I win?  Get enough laps and enough bonus points to come in first.  (Ok yes, I am a bit competitive)

Well the last question was answered the day prior to the race.  Unfortunately my dog had some health issues on that Thursday that caused me to change my game plan.  I needed to take a step back and focus on taking breaks throughout the race to go home and check on her.  Winning the race was out.  But all the other questions were still in play.

I changed my game plan for trying to get enough laps and points to really trying to test my endurance.  How many laps / miles could I do in 24 hours even when I knew I would be spending time off the course at home.

Riverwest 24 - the 24 Hour Riding Endurance Challange

The race started and I was off.  Riding with who knows how many countless riders.  The bikes, the people, the camraderie - this was fun.  Riding to the checkpoints was an experience.

Riverwest 24 Hour Race: Checkpoint 2

• Checkpoint 1 - I got my first of many punches to my manifest(s).  
• Checkpoint 2 - my neighborhood, my friends punching my manifest, cheering me on.  
• Checkpoint 3 - Twizzler Alley (they handed out Twizzlers to everyone riding by who wanted one), riding the Marsuipal Bridge.
• Checkpoint 4 - where it all started, headquarters.  Time to start the next lap, get a new manifest, look at the scoreboards.

As I continued to ride into the evening I thought to myself "I feel good.  I can do this."  The adrenaline rush, friends always checking on me, the people, the neighborhood, and getting into the zone.  

And I did it.  43 times to be exact.  From 7 pm on July 24th to 7 pm on July 25th.  The Endurance Challenge was met.  I did it.  24 hours.  209 miles.  

From early evening, to night, to sunrise, to a hot day, to early evening.  What an experience it was.  I can't wait to do it all again.

Riverwest 24 Hour Race: View of downtown Milwaukee at night.  

Photos:

Downtown Milwaukee at night.  I saw this many times as I rode through the night.  It was beautiful, calming and endearing to see the city I live in lit up.  

Riverwest 24 Hour Race.  Sunrise over the Milwaukee River.

The sunrise view out over the Milwaukee River toward Lake Michigan.  Such a beautiful sunrise it was on what would become a hot, steamy day.  Following this was a bonus checkpoint at the top of Resevoir Hill in which you were able to have a professional take a picture of you with the sunrise in the background.  I can't wait to see / get that picture.  Memories.

 

Race over.  24 hours of riding done.

Tired? Yes

Sore butt? Yes

Ready to do it again? Yes

43 Laps

209.10 Miles

6115 Ft of Elevation Gain

My first Riverwest 24 Hour Race was in the books.  

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe."  John Muir

I kind of feel this is a good John Muir quote to end this blog with.  The Riverwest neighborhood of Milwaukee is diversified and unique.  It's amazing how this race has brought this neighborhood together for the last 8 years.  You do find that if you pick out one thing in the Riverwest neighborhood, it is connected to everything else.  It's what makes this neighborhood a special place to live.

2013 - Resolutions and the Great Outdoors

2013 is now underway and I've been starting to think about what do I want to do this year.  No, I didn't make any resolutions on New Year's Eve, but I have ideas in my head of some of the things I want to accomplish this year and here's to hoping I can make them work out.

Doing Good for a Cause - Big City Mountaineers

In 2012 I was determined to give back more which I did, but not as much as I wanted.  So in 2013 - I've committed myself to Summit for Someone and doing a benefit climb with them and Backpacker Magazine to support Big City Mountaineers.  I'll be raising $4,000 to help out some well deserved at-risk youth gain opportunities to have a one-on-one mentoring experience in a wilderness experience.  In my opinion, it's two-fold, not only will these kids come out with an experience that will provide them some great skills to help them get through school and become leaders to their peers, they'll also get a great experience in the wilderness, which is something I hold close to my heart.

And in return as I'm doing this through Summit for Someone, I'm going to get to climb Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous 48 states, meet some new people and hopefully make some new life long friends.

Summit For Someone

More Training - Wilderness First Responder

Last year - I invested time into becoming Wilderness First Aid certified to make myself more readily available when I'm out in wilderness settings.  It made me feel more confident to take other people out hiking and camping and getting them to experience what I really love.  This year I plan to take it another step further and get the Wilderness First Responder certification.

Why?  Because I really love being in the back country and experiencing life unlike the majority of the people I know.  And I would really love to take some of the people who want to see this part of the country / world with me.  But doing so requires me to be prepared to take care of not only myself, but those who have placed their trust in me as well.  By getting certified - I get trained on standards and protocols to follow to ensure that if someone gets hurt, they'll be in good hands until I can get them out or get emergency personnel in.

Driftless Area - Wisconsin

Yes - I do have more to explore.  In 2012 I found the Black River State Forest where you can go backpacking.  I hiked a few trails in the forest, but didn't get time to go back and do any backpacking.  In 2013, I'm determined to get back there and take the dogs on a weekend backpack trip in the forest.

And I would like to go back to the Kickapoo River Valley area and do some backpacking on the trails along the river.  This was probably the most magical of the Driftless area I found in 2012.  It was just amazing.

Kickapoo River Valley area.  Wisconsin's "mountains".

So I'm extending an offer to anyone who reads this to join me in 2013 to visit one of these area's with me.  Don't worry if you don't have the gear - I know where we can get it.

Exploring Beyond Wisconsin

I have a few ideas of ideas I would like to explore in 2013 beyond Mt Whitney (not sure what, if anything I'll actually get to do yet).  

• A trip back out to Colorado and Utah to do some mountain biking, climbing and backpacking.  Specifically I would like to get out to SW Utah and check out Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks.
• Head back out east to explore - haven't gone in that direction in a number of years.  West Virginia's Dolly Sods Wilderness, the White Mountains of New Hampshire or something else.

That should keep me busy most of the year beyond camping in and around Wisconsin's State Parks.  And exploring my own backyard in Milwaukee.  Looking forward to a good 2013.  Join me if you want.  

Beauty in the City - Milwaukee River Trails (West Bluff)

One of the greatest things about where I live in Milwaukee is we have the Milwaukee River running one block from my house.  And the fact that the urban sprawl of condos that started in downtown Milwaukee will not be allowed to continue its northward movement up the river.  Thus, leaving my area of the river fully natural and forested. 

Milwaukee River's West Bluff Trails

It's great because I can always find peace and tranquility when I need it right behind my house.  And with all the natural surroundings, on some days you may even catch a glimpse of a deer in the early morning hours.  As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it "Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."  This is one of the places I can go and adopt the pace of nature even within the city. 

Natural Tree Arch

I am so glad I found this little pocket of Riverwest to live in and how people have worked hard to keep this area natural.  I think we all need to find places like this - so go find your place of beauty, peace and tranquility and enjoy it.