About 2,500 cyclists hit the road in Santa Fe Century
About 2,500 brave gusty winds in 33-year-old bicycle event
Gwen James wasn’t about to give up, not even with a few miles left and a broken bicycle trying to hold her back.
It was James’ first time riding in the Santa Fe Century bike ride Sunday, and she was on the finishing end of her 25-mile ride when her bike’s derailleur broke. James could have called it a day, but she found motivation in her family to not give up.
“I have to be a good role model for my four daughters,” James said. “I would rather be in pain than have a broken heart telling my kids I didn’t finish. There was no way. I couldn’t imagine what I would do if I didn’t finish.”
So, James walked, then carried her bike the rest of the way before dropping it off at the repair shop once she crossed the finish line at Santa Fe Community College. Like James, the college was in its first year at the new home for the 33-yearold event, which saw about 2,500 riders begin and end their journeys — whether it was for the 25-, 50- or 100-mile course or the new 20-mile dirt trail — in its parking lot.
While many of the entrants are veterans of the Century, every year always brings fresh faces and new stories. Glenn Capener’s story involves his two brothers, Richard and Steven. Richard, the younger sibling, has been an avid rider for years, which Glenn admired. Steven died in December,
which spurred Glenn to focus on his health. Bike riding was one of the ways he decided to help improve it, and Richard gave him one of his bikes to do it. Glenn Capener, of Santa Fe, started in earnest in March.
“There can’t be a better way to get in touch and get in shape,” Glenn Capener said. “You got to take life for granted and just enjoy this. It was so much fun.”
Capener said he hadn’t gone more than 10 miles on his bike until the Century, but he found motivation being among the bevy of riders in the Gran Fondo group start at 7 a.m. Riding on the streets and roads in and around Santa Fe was also a new experience.
“The only time I have ever rode the 10 miles was on the trails, like by Santa Fe High,” Capener said. “Doing the road thing and having people [around] is real different. It was real nice, a lot of adrenaline. I am not very philosophical or profound, but it was awesome.”
Albuquerque’s Stephanie Melkonian did the half-Century as a way to help with her training in between triathlons. She often rides with a group to Santa Fe and back on the weekends, but she called this a different experience because of the more casual nature of the event.
Melkonian said riding with such a large group helped improve the safety factor.
“It wasn’t really a race day,” Melkonian said. “I was just trying to keep it steady. For me, it is really nice to know that, if something happened, like I got a flat tire or something, there were people out there to help. If I needed water, there is going to be an aid station. Really, it was just more like a training day, but with a lot of riders.”
The only downside to the event was the southeast wind, which provided a steady 20-mph head and tail wind that occasionally gusted to 30 mph. That made parts of the course more challenging, but also easier on some of the downhill portions.
“I wasn’t a big fan of the wind, at all,” Glenn Capener said. “Other than that, it was nice. I was really happy with [the course].”
As for James, she mused that once her bike was fixed, she might truly finish what she started.
“I’m thinking about parking my car where [my bicycle] broke down, and ride the rest of the way and come back,” James said. “Just to do it.”
It isn’t in her nature to just give up.