I ran my First marathon in 1983.
Joined my first Triathlon in 1984.
Both memorable. I have never joined a long distance bike race so the BIKE FOR A CAUSE recently held in Clark Field, Pampanga last August 14, 2016 was my first and as they say, your first is usually the most memorable. Having to take a temporary leave from the race running scene due to injury, I thought an out-of-town BIKE EVENT would be a great alternative.
Being my first bike event, this experience also brought in its share of anxieties. First off was the weather. I had to check the ROX's website every so often for any status updates. Up until race day the rain was relentless but race was still a go.
The starting line was at the CDC Grounds in Clark and gun start was at 6.30 am sharp. Arriving at the venue 30 minutes early, I already felt like a fish out of water. Since this was all new to me, I did not know where or how to position myself, how to pace, bike courtesy rules, do's and dont's. Cannot deny I was a bit nervous even thinking that I just might do something stupid like slam on my brakes and cause a 10-bike crash pile-up. Not exactly a comforting thought.
So the route took us around Clark and I can't complain about the fantastic view with fog evident on the mountains tops, century old trees along the route plus the fresh air, pouring rain and very little traffic. All these helped minimize my anxieties and got me into the groove of the race. The course was not as tough as what we were told to expect. In fact, when the escort car in front gave the signal to overtake him, we went wild! Well, I went wild attacking the uphills, cruising the downhills but still ever cautious of the slippery road due to continuous rain.
I finished at a time of 1.47.15. I guess that's pretty good for a novice like me. I'm not sure when my next race will be but have to say that overall, this BIKE FOR A CAUSE race proved to be quite memorable for a first time.
Definitely looking forward to more.
Part of the bike route passed one of my Favorite running trail ground
