Dag's Gran Fondo Ride

I completed my second Century ride and my first Gran Fondo (translates to "big ride" and is typically over 100 miles) of 117 miles on Sunday, May 21!

Starting and ending in downtown Cottage Grove, the course was extremely challenging encompassing over 6,600ft elevation gain with one of the most difficult hills at mile 105 during the heat of the day.

I trained intensely for over 2 months, with my average weekly mileage close to 200 miles. Many days I would do daily doubles at lunch and after work to get my mileage over 40 miles for the day, and most weekends I could be found out on the road on a long ride of 60-90 miles.

I had an excellent support crew to cheer me on-- with a sendoff crew of Hans, and Michael and Cheryl Clancey, and a finish crew of Hans and my mom, Krystyna.

My total time was 8 hours and 27 minutes, with a total ride time of 7 hours and 57 minutes and an average speed of 14.7 mph. I placed 9th out of all the women who completed the race, and 3rd in my age group! It was definitely one of the most physically challenging races of my life, but I loved (almost) every minute of it and can't wait to sign up again next year :).