09/16/2026
Still feelin' the happiness hangover! My first Whistler Gran Fondo is in the books. 122km in 8:57:53 Yaaaahoooo.
The day, the scenery, the volunteer support, was top notch! Thanks to ALL the people.
The ride was a beast. For me. The last couple legs were crazy tough. Strong headwinds, unnerving crosswinds, but at least seeing the super-skilled riders fly past me was reassuring that the wind wasn't blowing us off the road.
And guess what? The downhill portions between Squamish and Whistler, well some of them are not as downhilly as they look. I'd describe them as uphill-downhills.
Things I learned:
* the cycling community is incredibly supportive.
* I CAN hit 58 km/hr on a downhill and not implode!
* my riding buddy is an absolute ROCK.
* better communication as we tried to draft is a must.
* the cutoff times actually DO apply to me. Felt like a giant PacMan was on our tail. GO hard or get scooped by the trucks.
* leg cramps - pickle juice really DOES work!
* train more before my next mountain adventure.
Like a whole year more.
I started cycling a year ago. I love it! But why enter these endurance events at all? Well, that's easy:
* Keep fit. Feel good. Have fun.
* Challenge myself and motivate with big goals.
* Improvement each time I try a new challenge.
* Maybe one day I'll ride with my Grandkids!
We WILL do it again, but with a bigger group to draft and support each other.
Team Tangerine is on a roll!
