Chafe 150 Bicycle Ride and Real Estate

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Chafe 150 Bicycle Ride and Real Estate

chafe150shirtOne of my goals this year was to ride the ‘Chafe 150’.  This is an annual event and now hosted by the Sandpoint Rotary Club.  This is a pretty challenging event in that is offers rides of 30, 80, and of course 150 miles.  In not having been on a bike in over 35 years and certainly never for an event of this nature I thought the 80 miles would be a good goal to achieve. My Plan:
  • Loose weight before even thinking about actually starting bike training
  • Set goal weight to achieve
  • Set up recumbent bike in living room for easy access and constant reminder
  • Ask about proper gear for riding distances and purchase before riding
  • Start riding actual bike the moment I hit desired weight
  • Short rides to begin with to get used to bike, gears, clip ins, shifting
  • Increase mileage on one longer ride a week
  • Make a point to do some rides with steep grades
  • Keep track of pulse and blood pressure after each ride
  • Give myself 3 days rest between last ride and actual ‘Chafe 150’
  • Work on my mental game plan everyday so it would be comfortable come race day
While this may seem basic and of no value to an experienced bike rider I knew it was paramount for me to follow this plan.  It meant having water sometimes when really craving a burger.  Getting up at 4am so I could do a ride knowing I had a busy day ahead. It meant getting back on the bike the next day when my arse was so sore a small bump in the pavement would bring tears to my eyes.  It meant riding even with late spring temps in the high 30’s to low 40’s some mornings.  It meant mentally preparing myself for my first grades of 1, 2, and 3 miles with NO stopping.  It meant preparing myself mentally as well as physically.  I had to know that I was ready as well as have a plan to finish. Along with my personal training came much encouragement and help from others.  Mel Dick an avid rider loaned me his bike and other equipment so I would not need purchase only to find out this was not really my cup of tea.  Being an avid rider himself his advice and tips were valuable beyond words.  Outside sources saying how good I was doing with my training.  Brian with ‘Greasy Fingers’ bike shop also giving advice and tips for a rookie and not being impatient.  Many contributed to my training and moving forward. The ride itself had over 150 volunteers contributing their time to the day in one fashion or another.  Incredible Chafe 2016 Start MCome race day I unloaded the bike and rode the short distance from the Sandpoint office to the start point at Trinity’s at Sandpoint’s City Beach.  Start time for the 150 miles was at 6:30am with the 80 miler’s to ride in a bus to Troy Montana to start at approximately the 1/2 way point at 9:30 am. Chafe 80 routeThe bus ride was a bit more subdued than I would have expected and in thinking about it all of us were probably thinking about the 80 miles ahead.  Parking at the rest stop, in Troy, we unloaded with our bikes already being unloaded from large Semi tractor trailer from Lite House Dressing based in Sandpoint Idaho.  Last minute rider preparations everywhere.  Tensions in the air with everyone now anxious to begin. Personally I felt I had done everything I needed to do to finish this ride.  Still nervous though when the ride started.  My main concern was wanting to keep my younger competitiveness at bay. My goal was to finish this ride.  I did not care if last or not.  That was my only goal.  So I made a point of starting towards the rear of this large group.  I know how easy it is to get wrapped up in the excitement of the moment and immediately forget the plan. People were passing me and I maintained with the pace I had come accustomed to and knew was good for me.  First steep grade and some people were already stopping and walking their bikes.  I maintained my focus.  Signs were placed showing the mileage yet to be ridden before finishing.  The first 15 or 20 miles seemed as though it should have been 50.  Then I settled in and started enjoying the ride.  Mostly by myself and that was OK. This was for me anyway. By the time I came to the first rest stop I had already been passed by some of the 150 mile strong riders in front of that group.  I was ok with that because I had a plan and was sticking to it.  The temptation was there to spend more time at the rest stop than necessary.  Bike on the bike and moving again.  Some people now starting to show in front of me.  I kept to my strategy and rode what I knew to be my pace. I had been riding adjacent fo the Clark Fork River for quite a while when mile marker ’40’ showed itself and I realized I was in no mans land.  I had further to go than I had ever ridden in training, and I also had ridden further than I had ever gone with my training.  This is where confidence in my training and ability, plus mental strength, was an absolute must.  It was a bit of a mental challenge though no doubt. Chafe 150 Mark Clark Fork Idaho M Passing Heron Montana I had become more confident that I would definitely finish this ride. Leaving the Clark Fork rest stop I really had to hold myself in check in that now I was less than 30 miles out.  The desire to pick up the pace was almost overwhelming.  To chance cramping or tiring myself too much kept me in check.  Rains had fallen off and on all day but never heavy.  Winds kicked in from time to time.  Thankfully I had not given in to temptations because as I hit the open stretch at Colburn Culver, with about 10 miles to go, head winds were strong enough to almost bring me to a stand still along with torrential down pours now coming down. As I rounded a final corner with less than a half mile to go I was completely by myself.  No cars, pedestrians, or other cyclists.  I could not help but give out a big Yeh hah!  The actual 84 mile 7 hour ride was done just a bit better than any of my training rides and yet close enough that I knew I had stayed the plan.

What does this have to do with Real Estate and the Agent you want to choose?

EVERYTHING !

Not one of the bullet points above can not be compared to Real Estate planning. Maintaining calm and preparing for unknown obstacles is paramount in a successful agent, as was in this ride, from training to completion.