Continuing!



For that matter, most of my side shots turned out like crap. Here's a weird one of some low mountains in the distance.



Another slightly better one with some fellow riders.



Parked again! Last butt rest before home base.



I ended up pulling away with the fast group. It was kind of interesting, they all matched as you can see. I was wearing all black so I sort of looked like them as well, but I had a bunch of extra crap on my bike. I probably looked like their support vehicle.

As it turns out, I ended up passing a couple of them and finished 3rd out of 18 for the ride. It wasn't a race, but they couldn't believe that I kept up with them with platform pedals. I couldn't believe that I kept up with them either, but not for that reason...but because my bike probably weighed 20 pounds+ more than theirs with everything on it, and it was my first 50 miler.

As it turned out, I didn't get tired at all. My butt hurt a fair amount, however. But that was the absolute only thing that hurt so I can tell I've got my fit right and the bike is as comfortable as I've been believing it is. I wasn't the only one to experience butt pain, those with Brooks shared similar words and I was advised there really isn't anything you can do other than buy the best saddle you can, take breaks, and deal with it. I'll say this though, once I'd been off the saddle a few minutes my butt was fine and I could ride again pain-free for a while. Maybe the Denali saddle isn't as bad as I initially thought, my butt just wasn't used to a firm saddle back then.

I'd still like a Brooks, but I may throw the stock Denali saddle back on the Denali. It proved itself today, if more experienced riders than I had exactly the same results from their saddles.

That's all for now, 139 miles on the Sovereign. No problems at all on the long ride today. The new cotter pins are holding and so is everything else.
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