Sharon's Ride

Yesterday was the 12th Anniversary of Sharon's Ride. This ride serves as a memorial to Sharon Rosenfield, nurse and teacher who was killed during a cross country bicycle ride in 1993. She was deeply involved in supporting epilepsy and epilepsy patients. 

"Sharon's Ride Run Walk for Epilepsy was started in 1996 in St. Louis, Missouri by Dr. William Rosenfeld and Dr. Susan Lippmann, neurologists who specialize in epilepsy and who created the event to honor the memory of Dr. Rosenfeld's sister. Sharon's Ride takes place at 7 sites across the country, Honolulu being one of them."

It was wet, it was rainy, it was chilly, it was hot, it was sunny, it was windy, it was a quick 100k AND it was a great morning spent with friends who like to ride bikes. AND I got to try out my fancy new aero helmet that Aaron got me for Christmas. It was comfy and warm, great for a colder day here in Hawai'i. Everyone thinks he looks like RoboCop in his, so I suppose now there will be two RoboCops out there riding bikes. 

Not a whole lot to say about this...pretty much the same as last year...hold on for as long as possible then ride strong and hard the rest of the way. I held on for a shorter amount of time this go around, but I ended up with a faster and more consistent ride this year when compared to last (I know conditions can dictate pace and time so I shouldn't look at time as a predictor of fitness). Even though I wasn't able to stay with the big boys (and Michelle, and Chiyo) for very long, I do think I had a better, stronger, steadier ride this year.

A big, huge thanks to Michelle for hanging out at the top of Makapu'u and waiting for me because without her, it would have been a very lonely, windy sufferfest out there on my own. We were able to ride the rest of the time together trading pulls and pulling a whole bunch of boys around the island. No shame there, seems quite typical for this ride. If you can't hang with the big boys, the next group just lets you pull them around (after they skip one of the loops for a snack break and hop on to catch your draft). We prefered it that way though, pulling and setting the pace rather than drafting and getting an easy ride. On the last climb we dropped them all and rode to the finish strong, together. Better watch out for this girl come June and Haleakala.

If you're up for a fun, fast, police escorted (if you can hand with the lead boys), supported ride, this is one you should for sure check out. A great event, for a great cause....until next year.....