Ride Review
June 28, 2010 - N.I.T.E. Ride Guest Review
Laura Grammer is from Jasper, Indiana.
What a ride!
Let me introduce my close friend "Scuba Steve" who wants to do everything. And everything means everything. On a vacation trip, while the rest of us were relaxing on the beach, Scuba Steve was off kayaking and canoeing and scuba diving. When we were leaving, he realized that he had not played shuffleboard. So he set down his luggage and pushed a few "shuffles".
In Jasper, a group of bicyclists ride a twenty mile route every night starting at 9:00 pm. Scuba Steve bought a bike and decided he wanted to be one of the Night Riders. So one bicyclists took Scuba Steve on the Night Riders route. Very quickly he learned that twenty miles an hour is much faster than the ten miles an hour he was currently riding. So Scuba Steve recruited my husband and I to create an Evening Riders group.
We have been riding the hills of southern Indiana for about a month. We started at about eight miles with an ice cream break in the middle. The goal was to be able to ride twenty miles before we arrived at Indy for the N.I.T.E. ride. One night we got lost and ended up doing over twenty-four miles in about two and a half hours. At that point we decided that we are ready to tackle the 20 miles in the night.
Scuba Steve decided we needed to arrive at the Major Taylor Velodrome at 5:00 pm. The other four riders in our group pushed him off until 6:15 pm. At that time, parking was extremely ample.
The registration volunteers were nice and helpful. Being a Newbie, we had lots of questions. My volunteer reassured me that there would be volunteers in orange shirts to guide and help me if I get in trouble. Scuba Steve's volunteer sensed the adventurer in him and filled him with grandeur thoughts of rogue riding down dark alleys. Eventually the two volunteers had a great laugh and gave us both the same stories. It was a lot of fun to just get register!
So what would we do for then next five hours? We went and watched some bike races in the Velodrome. About twenty Dudes and two Chicks tore up the route. It was interesting to watching the riders strategize, draft and climb the hills while the spectators banged on the boards. Then we walked around and did some people-watching Some groups were having a grand time, tailgating for the event with tents and grills.
With about two hours remaining before the ride, Scuba Steve decided we needed to line up the bikes. We sat with our bike as the sweat poured off our body and passed the time swatting at the mosquitoes. Yes, we forgot our bug spray.
At 10:00 pm, Scuba Steve takes off to see if he won the new bike in the drawing and checked out the decorative bike judging competition. We stayed with the bikes and met some really nice people. The din of crowd noise started to fade as the tunes of the National Anthem stared to waft toward our area. And people stopped talking and started singing with their hands over their chest. At the conclusion the rider a few yards ahead yells "Play Ball". The excitement mounted.
Headlights and taillights were turned on, helmets secured to rider's heads, and bikers are mounting their ride. The official starter released the first group of riders. People not lined up at the official start point start to pour onto the street. The first set of riders took off. Thanks to Scuba Steve we were in the second group or riders. The start felt like a cross between the crowd rushing into the day after Christmas sales and the start of the Indianapolis 500. People were jockeying for position, trying not to hit the person in front of them, trying to get a good amount of speed built up before hitting the hill that is just a stone's throw from the start.
Unfortunately for me, the bike chain slipped off. While pushing my bike to the side of the road, my ankle rolled on the edge of the road and me and the bike fell to the pavement. It seemed like the entire group of people around asked "Are you OK?". Embarrassed, I attached the chain and continued up the hill. My knee was bleeding. After climbing the hill and coasting down the long gliding hill, I splashed some of my water on my knee and kept riding.
My husband told me to check out the sites. WOW! The view ahead had three street lanes filled with flashing red bike tail lights. The view behind was a sea of white speckles chasing after us. We kept to a steady pace while Scuba Steve and his Fitness major college daughter quickly zoomed out of sight. At almost every intersection was a volunteer with a flashlight pointing the way while police officers were holding traffic. As we passed by each of these people, we expressed our gratitude.
As the real bikers, those bikers with their biker shorts and biker shirts and tiny wheels who could ride twenty miles an hour, passed us they would say "On the left", "Coming between", to let us know they were passing. How very courteous and safe. In addition to the real bikers, there were young kids, old men, parents with kiddie caddies, and a man pulling another guy sitting in a recliner holding a boom box. What a hoot!
Going down the parkway lined with trees, the cool air seemed to envelop your soul, cooling the body from head to toe. Then we crossed the bridge and headed downtown. It's amazing how different Indy looks at night. Monument Circle was crazy cool. All kinds of people were hanging out. Considered stopping at the Chocolate Shoppe, then decided to just keep pedaling. Then up through "Mitch Land", the State Government buildings. A volunteer warned us about the concrete barriers. We just enjoyed the rumble of the authentic brick road.
Then on to the Veterans World War Memorial. We were gawking at the memorial so much that we didn't recognize this was the rest stop. My husband went to find our group while I headed to the EMT for some knee repair. After a few cups of sports drink and chowing on some Oreos, we were on Meridian Road again.
As we pedaled and pedaled, our legs requested a rest. Then I realize that Meridian is a long stretch with a mild incline that required us to pedal constantly to maintain our speed. Then all of a sudden, there's the Children's Museum. And there are people sitting on the sidewalk cheering the riders. We think that next year we should bring some candy to throw like being in a parade.
Then we make the turn to head toward home. Up in the front is a narrowing tunnel like structure. Uh Oh we were six bikes wide trying to get through an opening made for two bikes. Once you get past the entrance, it's over the lighted bridge which opens to a meandering trail of luminaries. How spectacular!! This path concludes at the entrance to the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
Now we are heading back and looks like we will be hitting an interstate. And the hair on the back of my neck starts to stand up thinking they guided us to the 465 loop. Once we make the turn, we realize it was an exit ramp. Time to kick up your legs and coast down the ramp. Wheee! It was more exhilarating than a ride on a roller coaster.
As we return to Cold Spring Road (where was the cold spring anyway?) we remember that we need to climb the uphill that was the downhill at the beginning of the ride. This was the only real hill on the route and something normal for any ride in Southern Indiana. My husband climbed the hill at a quicker pace then slowed to wait for me. Then coasting down the "chain fell off the bike" hill, we arrived back at our starting point. We finished the 20 miles in one hour and forty-five minutes and that included a ten minute break. What a ride!!
Of course, Scuba Steve and his daughter weren't done yet. They took their bikes to the Velodrome and did a few laps. The rest of us put away our bikes and headed over to get pasta, a breadstick, fruit and a drink. We copped a squat on the concrete to put fluid and carbs back in our bodies while we listened to some amazing jazz music under the starry sky.
Scuba Steve was so incredibly excited, he couldn't contain his joy. By the time we all met up again, he had already made plans for next year. And as much as it pains me to say this, Scuba Steve was right. The Indy N.I.T.E. ride was a lot of fun. And we are looking forward to next year. Ride Scuba Steve ride!!