The Inland Empire Century 2008 in Tri-Cities, Washington was our second bike tour of the year and our first century ride. The weather for the tour that day was unseasonably overcast and cool. Living in the Tri-Cities area most of my life and accustomed to the 200 plus days of sunshine a year I was disappointed to say the least.
The tour started at Howard Amon park in Richland and takes you immediately across the Columbia river into Pasco where you ride on the Sacajawea bike path which also parallels the river. The route took us back over the Columbia into Kennewick where we finished the bike path loop and headed towards West Richland. From West Richland we left the bike path and were on regular surface streets.
The first small climb came between West Richland and Benton City. Nothing major but a climb that I would describe as getting you into the mood for something steeper. It was at this point in the tour I started to feel some soreness in my left knee again. I say again because it was the same knee that gave me absolute pain during the final third stage of the Rhody Tour just a few weeks before. I was starting to worry about it a bit since I never saw a doctor to check it out for me. The reason I didn't go to the doctor is that in the weeks between the tours I had done several training rides in between and my knee felt fine. The problem with that I would later find out was that the training rides were only 10 to 15 miles a ride. More about this later.
Descending into Benton City was fun and fast. Even though the weather wasn't the greatest my spirits were high riding with so many other cyclists. The Benton City break station was busy with volunteers and cyclists refueling for the next stage. From the break station we continued on towards the small town of Prosser. This route took us from neighboring Kiona Benton with gentle rolling hills through apple orchards to the major climb of the tour called Weber Canyon. For local bike club members and cyclists who have ridden the Inland Empire Century before know Weber Canyon well for its steep and long grade. It is the type of climb that tests your fitness level and Weber Canyon's name is often spoken with in dread from cyclists who have climbed it. I however, am not one of them because this day would be the first time ever I would have to abandon a bike tour.
While cycling through the rolling hills of the Kiona Benton area my left knee started to ache much more severely. Four miles from the Benton City break station my left knee felt like it was stabbed with an ice pick. It was the same feeling as before in the Rhody Tour and like then it occurred around the 40 mile mark. The pain went away almost immediately after dismounting my Orbea. Mentally though I was devastated, unlike the Rhody Tour this time I knew I wouldn't be able to finish. As fate would have it a SAG vehicle rolled up behind me just a minute or two after I dismounted. I waved the SAG vehicle over and told him about the pain. He suggested that I call it a day since the Weber Canyon climb started about a half mile from our location. He seriously doubted I would be able to make the climb with an as yet undiagnosed knee problem. I agreed that it wouldn't be the most prudent thing to do so we loaded up my bike into the vehicle and headed back to the Benton City break station. My wife on the other hand was concerned about my knee but wanted to continue the bike tour. I told her I was fine with her wanting to finish and was impressed by her courage to continue on another 60 some odd miles alone.
I had to go back to the Benton City break station because this SAG driver's responsibility was patrolling the Prosser area of the route so I had to wait for another SAG vehicle to take me back to Richland. I had to wait for the second SAG vehicle for about 15 minutes but it seemed like an hour as I was pretty depressed at this point. The drive back to Richland also seemed to take a long time as my concern for my knee started grow more so than the fact that I had to abandon the tour. The SAG driver made some occasional small talk but finding out what was wrong with my knee was ever present on my mind. I kept thinking to myself why did this have to happen now when I just got a new bike and my love for cycling was at its peak. I was determined to get a medical diagnosis and even have surgery if need be as soon as possible so I could get back on the saddle. That's when I knew cycling was like a drug for me as I was willing to go through a hypothetical surgery at this point to keep it in my life.
About five hours later my wife finished the Inalnd Empire Century. I was so proud of her accomplishment and at the same time worried about the unknown condition with my knee.
The tour started at Howard Amon park in Richland and takes you immediately across the Columbia river into Pasco where you ride on the Sacajawea bike path which also parallels the river. The route took us back over the Columbia into Kennewick where we finished the bike path loop and headed towards West Richland. From West Richland we left the bike path and were on regular surface streets.
The first small climb came between West Richland and Benton City. Nothing major but a climb that I would describe as getting you into the mood for something steeper. It was at this point in the tour I started to feel some soreness in my left knee again. I say again because it was the same knee that gave me absolute pain during the final third stage of the Rhody Tour just a few weeks before. I was starting to worry about it a bit since I never saw a doctor to check it out for me. The reason I didn't go to the doctor is that in the weeks between the tours I had done several training rides in between and my knee felt fine. The problem with that I would later find out was that the training rides were only 10 to 15 miles a ride. More about this later.
Descending into Benton City was fun and fast. Even though the weather wasn't the greatest my spirits were high riding with so many other cyclists. The Benton City break station was busy with volunteers and cyclists refueling for the next stage. From the break station we continued on towards the small town of Prosser. This route took us from neighboring Kiona Benton with gentle rolling hills through apple orchards to the major climb of the tour called Weber Canyon. For local bike club members and cyclists who have ridden the Inland Empire Century before know Weber Canyon well for its steep and long grade. It is the type of climb that tests your fitness level and Weber Canyon's name is often spoken with in dread from cyclists who have climbed it. I however, am not one of them because this day would be the first time ever I would have to abandon a bike tour.
While cycling through the rolling hills of the Kiona Benton area my left knee started to ache much more severely. Four miles from the Benton City break station my left knee felt like it was stabbed with an ice pick. It was the same feeling as before in the Rhody Tour and like then it occurred around the 40 mile mark. The pain went away almost immediately after dismounting my Orbea. Mentally though I was devastated, unlike the Rhody Tour this time I knew I wouldn't be able to finish. As fate would have it a SAG vehicle rolled up behind me just a minute or two after I dismounted. I waved the SAG vehicle over and told him about the pain. He suggested that I call it a day since the Weber Canyon climb started about a half mile from our location. He seriously doubted I would be able to make the climb with an as yet undiagnosed knee problem. I agreed that it wouldn't be the most prudent thing to do so we loaded up my bike into the vehicle and headed back to the Benton City break station. My wife on the other hand was concerned about my knee but wanted to continue the bike tour. I told her I was fine with her wanting to finish and was impressed by her courage to continue on another 60 some odd miles alone.
I had to go back to the Benton City break station because this SAG driver's responsibility was patrolling the Prosser area of the route so I had to wait for another SAG vehicle to take me back to Richland. I had to wait for the second SAG vehicle for about 15 minutes but it seemed like an hour as I was pretty depressed at this point. The drive back to Richland also seemed to take a long time as my concern for my knee started grow more so than the fact that I had to abandon the tour. The SAG driver made some occasional small talk but finding out what was wrong with my knee was ever present on my mind. I kept thinking to myself why did this have to happen now when I just got a new bike and my love for cycling was at its peak. I was determined to get a medical diagnosis and even have surgery if need be as soon as possible so I could get back on the saddle. That's when I knew cycling was like a drug for me as I was willing to go through a hypothetical surgery at this point to keep it in my life.
About five hours later my wife finished the Inalnd Empire Century. I was so proud of her accomplishment and at the same time worried about the unknown condition with my knee.
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