North Georgia. Mountain Bike race. Mountain Outdoor Expeditions in Elijah Georgia was a great place. If you know – you know. Many of their races were started at their location. Which was great – camping, showers etc. We are out in a remote location today. Racers and significant others are the only spectators since we are in the middle of nowhere. Literally. This particular race we had to drive a good distance to the start. Beautiful location, nice loop.
Some background. I had a friend. Worked with her. She was originally from near where I was racing. She wanted to go. I told her that she certainly did not want to go. It would not be much fun. She insisted. So – off we went.
She did not ride bikes. In fact, she was new to fitness and was enjoying it – but bikes were still foreign to her.
We arrive – and like I said, we are in the middle of nowhere. There are racers and significant others. She gathered with a group of ladies watching the race and walking the trail (nice single track) as they watched the race. They walked ‘backwards’ and when someone was coming, they would step off the trail and cheer.
I saw them a few times, it was a multiple lap race. It was nice.
I finished the race and she was not at the finish. I went to the car and found her. Dazed and in the passenger seat – seat laid back – half asleep and droopy eyed. She explained what was going on …
Apparently, the ladies were walking the trail and a person not far in front of them crashed, just barely off the trail. They ran that way to help. Well, he crashed into a nest of ground hornets. She said we had been riding by it – 6 inches from it – all day. But no one left the trail, so they did not get agitated. This guy crashing and fell directly on the nest. By the time the ladies got there to help, they realized what was going on … they turned to run. Most of them got stung on the retreat. In the butt. My friend had been stung multiple times in her butt. She had been treated and given Benadryl and was ‘pretty out of it’ by the time I returned to the car. The racer – he went to the hospital as he had so many stings. The ladies that ran to help … they were all like my friend – swollen butts and a bit groggy.
Ouch. She never went to another bike race with me. To my knowledge, that was her one and only. No one would blame her. I must say – after that – she listened intently to what I said. When I told her that the visit to the race would not be that fun for her, well, I did not predict she would get bit in the butt by some big hornets. Sometimes trust is built by not listening and reflecting on that decision.
Ahhhh – bikes… the places they take us and the situations we encounter.
