Reenactment Day

Today was a good day. Actually, today was a GREAT day. It was probably one of the best rides this whole season and I feel a sense of accomplishment for completing a goal set only weeks ago.

In a recent post The Three Loop Cure, I mentioned a goal that my friend Alison and I set for the month of September; to ride 4 loops of the Saratoga Battlefield. Last week, we suffered through three laps and were completely toast when finished. I don’t know if we started too early, if our diet wasn’t up to par or if we rode it too hard, but we really struggled on the last lap and paid for it later.

What a difference a week makes!

Have you ever had one of those days where everything just “clicks”? You feel incredibly awesome during training, your races are going just as you want them to, or your game is just “on”? This was my experience today.

We arrived a little later for this week’s ride because it is getting pretty darn chilly in the mornings. Even the two hour delay to let the sun warm up the air, and an extra layer didn’t really work so well. Starting out on the first loop my teeth were chattering so hard! My fingers were numb, my feet were cold and a “Holy S***! It’s cold” flew out between chatters. I threw it in the biggest gear I had and worked it just to warm up my body. When we hit the first hill crest, I stopped to take a picture of the view I love on this ride. As I was taking a few shots, I hear “Hey, can I get in one?!” It is Denis, a friend of ours that my husband and I have been trying to get together with for a ride all summer, but our schedules never worked out. I was so glad to see him and motioned that my husband was already down the hill. He rolled off and I followed after placing the camera back in my shirt pocket. Denis ended up riding the entire ride with us and I’m so happy he did!

One of the reasons I brought the camera along for this ride was because the Battlefield was having a Reenactment Day. I thought it would be cool to capture some of the sights as we rode past. I’ve lived near this area for most of my life and I have never been to one of these events. All this time and I haven’t appreciated it until today.

Here are some photos of cannon loading, a guide and the British camp set up.














We continued through the first lap and up “the hill” and it was still cold. We made our right hand turn to climb to the parking lot. Our muscles were a little sore but I believe it was due to the cold and nothing more.

We reached the parking lot, had some Gu and water and were off for loop two. This lap was a bit warmer that the first but the wind was still biting. We started to notice more car traffic stopping at the different camp sites. Folks were learning what the Revolutionary soldiers did to prepare for battle on these vast grounds. This lap we came to a point in the ride which always makes me chuckle. I shared with Alison that every time we come up this incline and are greeted by this cannon, I always think “Ker-plow!, You’re done.” Our conversation then turns to 6-shot vs. 12-shot cannons. I ask what the difference is. It’s the size of ball that is loaded in the cannon. Hmm, you learn something new every day.



We also ran into a stretch of wildlife gone… well, wild! Chipmunks were darting across the road and barley missing our tires. Denis had a very close brush with a doe that decided it was time to run to a different field for grazing while bounding right in front of him. Alison’s friend Rich had a dragon fly hit his face and stuck to his cheek for a few seconds before flying off. I had a bee or fly (I’m guessing a fly, because I was not stung) fly right into the vent of my helmet and buzz around. I thought “that’s mathematically impossible!” as I screeched to a halt and unclipped my helmet and pulled out my ponytail. After shaking my hand through my hair and satisfied that whatever flew in was now gone, I pulled my hair back and put my helmet back in place. We soon turned right and were heading back to the lot. For some reason, this stretch of the course that always seems to be such a bear wasn’t so bad. I wasn’t tired like last week. And it seemed, if possible, shorter!

The group was feeling good. I was feeling good. It was time to roll for loop number three. We wind our way through the course and catch glimpses of more and more folks near certain encampments. Cars are now starting to stretch down the inclines and I notice that many have out of state plates. Since this is a one-way road, I thought it good to stay aware of how busy it was getting and noticed on this loop, we were all taking turns yelling “car-back”. Hopefully the out-of-towners will continue to take it slow and keep traffic one-way!

When we turned right, I knew I was ready for lap four. I could feel it. I still felt fresh and strong. No struggle what-so-ever on this loop. It felt like I could ride forever. We make it to the lot and freshen up the water bottles. Questions abound- We doing 4? Yes! This will be our cool down lap and I will break out my camera to take pictures.






We start the ride and are finally greeted with a warm breeze. It is a STELLAR fall day. We reach the crest where 3 laps before we picked up Denis. Here, Alison and I stop and chat with a fellow from Massachusetts who is part of the Reenactment Day festivities. We take his picture and ask about his uniform. He is considered a soldier from the New England Regimen based on the white outlining of his uniform. He also explains that his coat tails are short and turned up, which signified that he was part of the Calvary. We thank him for his time and roll off down the hill. As we climb the next hill, we see activity just over the hill top. Soldiers are near a cannon and holding long sticks. Alison and I stop again to take out our cameras, not wanting to miss another great photo op. The men would have nothing of it, waving arms and yelled “Keep going! Don’t stop! Keep MOOOOVING!” Ok! You got it. You are the one with the big gun! So we ride on. Not three seconds later; BOOM! BOOM! The cannon fires and scared the crap out of us. I asked Alison, “Now wait just a minute! Did they see the whites of our eyes?”

This lap was a nice leisurely ride, full of conversation and picture taking. We are always working so hard on this ride that we never seem to take the time to stop and actually look at all the wonderful scenery. I had no idea that from one of the stops you can see the Hudson River. It’s pretty nice from up here. The hill did hurt this time around. I won’t lie. The real test would be the right-hand turn just up ahead.










We turn right and the legs are starting to feel tired but still feel pretty darn good. On the first roller, I stood up and it scorched my legs. I felt the left quad start to tighten up. I thought ok…just spin it out. We got closer to the end. I still have some gas in the tank. Nice! I click a gear, then another. I pass my husband and just keep my head down. He fights for my wheel and I hear him say “Hon, what are you doin’ to me? I can’t hang at this pace.” I answered with “I just want to get done. My leg is starting to cramp.” I spin a little harder. Could I finish this ride AHEAD of my husband?? I almost became giddy. He passed me on the last hill. I stood out of my saddle and tried to catch him but he pulled too far ahead for me to answer it. I still feel good and will get him next time!

High fives were shared along with some tasty banana bread. We did it. We reached our goal. Instead of lunch to celebrate, we decide to go to dinner during the week instead. Today, however, the couch beckons to be kept company while the football games play and we all gladly oblige.