Tour Des Lacs September 19-20, 2009 Donna Callahan

Being newbie’s to cycling, the Tour Des Lacs was our first pay-to-ride cycling event. Early Saturday morning, Gary and I were greeted with smiling faces and blueberry pancakes, hot off the grill. It was then, that we knew this was going to be a good day. But, things got even better. We were escorted out of downtown Spokane by a motorcycle cop who didn’t really obey the speed limit. He zoomed (0 to 60 mph in 5 seconds flat) from stop light to stop light to block traffic so that the 350+ cyclists who had signed up for this event could easily navigate the city streets. Being the good cyclist that I am, I was sure to stay to the far right to avoid a collision with the maniac cop.  Safety first!

We were just a minute or two into the ride when we came upon the South Hill. Wait a minute! I thought this was going to be a flat ride?!? Oh well, I hammered up the hill (yeah, sure) only to be confronted by someone with a flashing camera. No worries. I pasted a big smile on my face for the Kodak moment and kept peddling. I asked Gary if we should have a plan in case we got separated. He said, “No need, we would ride together.” I didn’t see Gary for another 12 miles. He was too tempted to catch the Baddlands Cycling Club. I was too tempted to just finish the ride since we were traveling into unknown territory. Once he achieved his goal, he was somewhat of a nice guy and pulled over and waited to make sure I had at least made it out of Spokane. Three points for Gary!

The weather was fairly nice, although the wind was really getting on my nerves. No matter the direction I was riding, the wind seemed to know. The headwinds were constant. I kept thinking, this will eventually pay off and at some point, when I need it the most, I will get to enjoy a nice tail wind at my back. Nope! Didn’t happen for the entire 64-mile ride. Optimism is over-rated.

Our first rest stop was 18 miles in, just beyond Valleyford, WA. We were greeted again by smiling faces and a good selection of snacks. Gary fueled up with a banana. I opted for the Nature Valley Apple Crisp bar. Yum!

We hit the pavement again and I began to wonder why all roads are built to go up hill. I had a very good conversation with myself about road construction and how I would change things if I owned a caterpillar and a road grader (since Gary left me in his dust again). It occurred to me that maybe the people at the food stop weren’t that nice after all. They could have at least warned me about the upcoming mountain, but no, they just smiled at me and acted all friendly and stuff. Freaks!

I was concentrating on trying to figure out my cadence (something Corrie talked to me about on another ride) as I climbed the rolling hill, which by the way was really a treacherous mountain, on the way to Plummer. I also reflected on an earlier conversation I had with Gary. He told me that eventually I will hit a wall and then I will need to simply push through it. I didn’t hit a wall, but I did envision hitting Gary. Unfortunately, he was nowhere in sight.

Just then, I saw the yellow road sign. You know the one; it has a truck going downhill and a listing of 8% near the bottom. Weeeeee! The cycling God’s were smiling on me at last. I cruised into Plummer with an ear to ear grin.

From Plummer, we got onto the Trail of the Coeur d’Alene path. We had ridden this section before, so I knew that I could make it the final 15 miles to Harrison. Once in Harrison, we were greeted again by happy people with food. At least these people were genuine. Oh, I love how eating and cycling go together! We enjoyed our chili and chips and waited another three hours for the boat to arrive to take us back to Coeur d’Alene. I have never seen so many bikes on a boat before in my life. Again, I found myself wondering, how many of these people would put the life preserver on their bike before themselves should the need arise?

Being the planning person that I am, I already decided the preserver was going on me, the bike could sink. No need to plan that far in advance though. Two hours later, we all arrived safely at the Coeur d’Alene dock. However, our ride was not quite over yet. We high-tailed it off the dock and made good time to our hotel where we took a quick shower, changed our clothes, and raced to the Roosevelt Inn Bed and Breakfast for David’s Pizza and brownies. Biking + Food = Happy Place. 

On Day 2, we were greeted with more smiling faces and more blueberry pancakes. I took the pancakes, but I didn’t smile back. After all, this was my second day; I knew what those evil people were smiling about. The temperature was a chilling 43 degrees, but the sun was shining so things were looking up. As we took off by the lake, my friend, the wind, decided to make its presence known. What is up with that? Give me a break! As the ride progressed, I kept mentally preparing for the hills, but they were nowhere to be found. The sun was shining, the Centennial Trail was flat, the wind quit blowing, and all was good and peaceful in the world. Gary even rode with me for at least 7 miles. Three more points for Gary!

We ended our ride on the back patio of the Red Lion Hotel where we were greeted a final time by smiling faces and a delicious potato bar. Maybe these people aren’t so bad after all. And, that is how we roll!