Stolen Bikes, Innocence Lost.

I don't even know where to begin on this one. It is not the report I wanted to write about the Wichita Waterfront Triathlon. I wanted to report that I was ready, well prepared, happy with my effort and ready to take on the next challenge. Instead I have to report that the race went nothing like planned and almost didn't happen at all for my friend Claudia B. and myself.

That's what happens when you trust too much, don't take every precaution, and have your bikes stolen in the middle of the night right before a race.

Nothing sadder than an empty bike rack.

On Saturday we drove to Wichita and picked up our race packets and generally had a great day. We were staying with our friend Kate H. and decided to park our bikes in her garage when we went to dinner. But when we returned home I wanted to load our bikes so we wouldn't have to go through her back yard in the dark. I had a sturdy looking chain and lock for the bikes and thought they would be fine. I'm a country girl and never thought about them being a temptation, especially since I had them chained together and then chained to the bike rack. I'm stupid. That about covers it. Because I didn't want to fumble around in the dark I made a big mistake. Hind sight is 20/20, but it was a hard lesson to learn.

We woke early, ate our pre-race food, and walked out the front door. Claudia came to a stop and asked if I had moved the bikes. I just stared at the empty bike rack. Gone. It didn't make any since at first, but yes, they were gone. I was in denial for a few minutes, but no matter how many times I looked at the rack the bikes did not magically reappear. When I called 911 I'm sure the dispatcher thought I was overreacting, but when I explained that these were racing bikes worth several thousand dollars and that we had a race starting in just over an hour he understood my distress.

As corny as it sounds, I was very upset that I would be missing out on a pretty cool finisher medal. I know, but that's the thought that keep running through my mind. Claudia was distressed about her bike but I don't think the medal entered her mind. But I latched onto that idea and was bound and determined that I wasn't going to let some hoodlums rob me of my medal! I knew Kate had two bikes but they hadn't been ridden much in a while. Not exactly race ready. We quickly looked them over and discovered the front wheel was totally missing from one of them. As in gone. Hmmmm. She's not quite sure what happened to it during her recent move to Wichita, but it was AWOL. So we were down to one bike.

Relay! If the race organizes would allow it, Claudia and I could do this as a relay and salvage something of this weekend. Since Kate's bike fit me better I would ride. And my swim is a little stronger so I would swim too. Claudia is a very strong runner and I hate to run so we were set. But time was ticking and by the time we arrived at the race it was only 30 minutes to race time.

I don't mind telling you I was shaking like a leaf inside. I was angry, flustered, filled with remorse, and just plain mad. I had made the decision to load our bikes. I was responsible. But they had taken enough from us, they were not getting my medal too!

The good folks at Oz Endurance who put on the race were more then willing to help. They switched us to a relay and pointed us to the bike repair van manned by the Bike Pedaler. Ruth, the wrench on duty, went to work making sure the tires were aired, the brakes were working, and took the cages off the pedals. I just can't ride with those things. After I got my transition area set and got my body markings she helped adjust the seat and get the bike fitted to me as best she could. She even loaned us a bike stand since by that time there was no room on the racks. I rode about 20 feet around the lot and racked the bike. With minutes to spare I was down at the lake catching the last of the instructions and lining up for the swim.

Word of our plight had spread and I was talking to some ladies about it when one of them looked at me and said she knew me and where I was from. I happened to be standing next to a former school mate I hadn't seen for over 30 years. We all look so different in our swim caps and goggles that I'm surprised she recognized me at all! Finally some positive vibes were flowing my way.

The swim was through a pond that is not open to swimming any other time of year. It was murky but manageable. Since I didn't hear all the instructions I didn't know exactly where the in and out of the pond where. I just figured I would follow the leader and make it through. Everything was going fine until my goggles fogged up and I had to take them off or swim totally blind. There was no way to see the buoys at all. So I swam the second part with my head out of the water. It didn't slow me down much but it did take more energy. I was really tired by the end of the swim and the run up to the transition area was fairly long. Next up, ride on a bike I've never ridden before.

Not just a medal to me.

It is impossible to explain how our bikes become a part of us to others. We learn the touch of the shifter, the pressure of the breaks, the mold of the saddle. Now imagine having to learn all of that on the fly in race conditions. The first 4 miles were a learning experience. The geometry was different so I was in a slightly different position then I'm used to. The saddle was different and my bottom let me know about it. The handle bars were different and the ram handles were much lower. The next 4 miles were better and the last 4 miles I was finally getting the hang of things. As happens in Kansas from time to time, the wind seemed to be blowing against me 3 out of 4 directions. And how can it be uphill all the time?

I hit the transition area and Claudia stripped the timing band from my leg and off she went. My part was over and I was spent, mentally and physically. I don't think I could have done much more than a walk after all we had been through. Kate and I waited for Claudia at the finish line and cheered hard as she turned in one of her fastest 5K times in months. My teammate was getting it done!

We accepted our finisher medals and hugged as we mourned the loss of our bikes. But we had found a way to finish. With the help of friends and strangers alike we didn't let the thieves steal the one thing we could snatch back from them. We don't have much hope of getting our bikes back and I'm already in the process of getting a replacement. I have learned a hard lesson and will not be as naive in the future. That medal will always represent a changing moment in my life. It will symbolize my loss of innocence, and my renewal of faith in human kind. It will stand for overcoming obstacles and making your goals happen no matter what. It will remind me that there are good people in the world and when you want to accomplish something you will move heaven and earth to get it done. To me, it will never be just another medal.