Ocean to Ocean Bicycle Ride

On a Thursday afternoon I ran across an article about a coast to coast bike ride, from Panama’s  Atlantic to the Pacific, 86kms/53miles, coming up the following Sunday…how cool is that! The idea got me excited, what a great way to see this beautiful country we live in. I have some experience bike riding and my husband rides regularly. I knew he’d be excited to do it. When I got home and showed him the article he said a couple of our friends had mentioned they would be doing this ride.  He also told me I may not be in the best shape, i.e., no recent training to do this long of a ride. (Okay, so I had not been on my bike since the last Coronado Triathlon). Oh, don’t worry about me I said, I’ll just go slow and if it takes me 5 hours, what the heck. Just go at your own pace, honey. You don’t need to hang back for me. I’ll get there when I get there. I really want to do this! So, on Saturday at 3:30 in the morning we were on the Amador Causeway with our bikes, which we loaded into transport trucks. There were about 1,030 people signed up to do this ride and many of the participants opted for the group transport from the causeway to Colon. After getting the bikes all loaded and secured on the transport trucks, it was time to transport the humans….we traveled via Red Devils.

We laughed and really got a kick out of the loud music and flashing lights. It was dark and super early, but the vibe was happy and eager for the day. With the Devils loaded and drivers ready, we were off in a convoy at 4:30 a.m. heading to Parque National, Colon.

After arriving at about 6:00 a.m., we got the bikes unloaded and riders got organized and ready for our cross country bike ride.  With bikes and riders in position on the main street, the official start time was 7:15 a.m., and off we went. The streets of Colon were lined with people waving us on. The day was bright with a slight breeze.

OMG....it was HARD and hot and so many hills, long, long steep hills. Around the 30 mile mark, just outside the town of Chilibre, I noticed a huge, red-block structure with a white wing at the top. There was a small turn off or viewing station, we were somewhere over the Chilibre Hydro Plant, but I just could not stop right there because the hill we were climbing was long and steep and there was more to go. I was afraid if I stopped in the middle of this hill, I’d have a hard time continuing, so I passed the structure. But, shortly after I felt like I was rounding the top of the hill so I stopped to take a break. I took a picture of the structure from the back-side and a few pictures out over the horizon. The vistas were absolutely breath-taking.

Those first 30 miles or so came and went. With every mile after that I noticed that I was being passed by other riders less and less. At some points I felt like I was the last rider, out on the highway all alone. There were a couple of hills where I was moving so slow that I thought  I’d have to have gone backwards to be moving any slower.

On a particularly grinding hill I was doing everything I could to just keep my legs moving, ever so slowly yet purposefully…if you’ve ever ridden a long, steep hill you know that if you stop to push your bike, it might as well be over for you. I was chugging along, focusing on the ground in front of my tire and I realized I was hearing some singing, or chanting. I looked up and to my left. There across the street was a family of Mom, Grandma and 6 or 7 children and they were singing to me, encouraging me on. When I looked over at them, they all smiled and waved and gave me thumbs-ups and began to sing louder. I have no idea the words they were singing, but their actions lightened my load and gave me the fuel I needed to push on with a huge smile on my face and in my heart.

Making the turn off the highway and down toward Gamboa was a milestone, a relief. The hills were plenty, but they felt gentle compared to the harsh concrete of the highways. There was more shade, too. I had plenty of water and several good snacks all along the way, but I was fading and really had to dig deep to find the energy to push on. I was nearly 4 hours into the ride and at the bottom of Gamboa I found myself looking at the face of yet another concrete highway and hill. This leg would lead to the Canal route, past the Pedro Miguel locks and then Miraflores, through the spaghetti bowl area of Albrook and to Balboa. I was literally weak in the knees and my quads were in spasm.

I stopped at a covered bus stop where a police officer and another rider were. The policeman was standing watch and had a phone in case a rider needed assistance. The fellow rider was lying back, resting next to his bike.  At this point I was sure that I could not continue and that I would need to be transported the west of the way. I knew I would be so mad at myself if I quit, but I was at the end of my rope, I had hit that proverbial ‘wall.’ There were 13 miles left to get to the finish and I felt like it may as well have been another 50 miles.  

But, the fellow rider who was resting heard me on the phone asking for transport and could see that I was having a hard time. He tapped my shoulder and said, “No  senora, you cannot stop yet, I will ride with you and we will finish this together.” I told him I was just done, no more gas and I was in too much pain. I didn’t want to be a burden to another rider and I honestly didn’t believe I could make it.  This kind man, Mauricio, kept telling me to follow him and that he would be with me every inch of the way and that the hills were not that bad, that if he could do it, I could do it. He just would not give up on me and ultimately he convinced me that with his help I could do it.  He promised to stay with me and help me all the way, and he did exactly that!  

One of his friends caught up to us along the way. At the last of many hills and when he heard that Mauricio was holding back for me he, Jorge, dropped back and rode next to me, putting his right hand on my backpack and helped push me up that last hill. I made it!! With the help and kindness from two strangers who turned out to be the best kind of friends!!

My husband completed the ride in 3:05. The friends we signed up with completed the ride in 3:40. My end time was 4 hours and 45 minutes. I am so proud that I finished and I know I couldn’t have done it without the help from my new Friends. Thank you, Mauricio and Jorge, for reaching out to a stranger and fellow athlete in a time of need, for giving me your hands, your energy, and most especially with your hearts!