I participated in the 24 Hours of Booty ride in Charlotte NC which is a charity event that raises funds for cancer. I had a goal of 300 miles. If I completed it I had a donor who would give donate $3,000. The ride is a 2.97 mile loop in the Queens College area of town. Simple route with two small climbs. The event begins at 7:00 pm Friday and ends 7:00 pm Saturday. Since I came from TX I rode it alone for the most part.

Here’s the stats:

Total distance: 283 miles, that’s the equivalent of riding from Houston to North of the Texas Arkansas border.

Event Time: 24 hours. 7:00 pm Friday – 7:00 pm Saturday.

Saddle time: 18 hours 20 minutes. 5 Hours and 40 min was spent eating, drinking and resting.

Avg course speed: 15.7 mph

Max speed: 38.6 mph (down hill) pedaling as fast as I could around 12:30 pm.

Calories burned: 21,250. You read it right. That’s like eating 135 Twinkies and not having to worry about it.

Leg cramps: None until after the ride having dinner at a hamburger restaurant. I’m sure I looked funny sitting in the chair withering in pain.

Total single day weight loss: 14.69 pounds. Just like prior rides, I will put this weight back on and then some in the coming weeks. This begs the question…is cycling really helping me if I gain the weight back plus a few pounds each time. As I have said before, I need to change my diet..

Flat tires, crashes, or other mechanical problems: ZERO!! Thank goodness.

Sunburn: A little. It was really warm during the day. I lost so much weight through sweating that you could see the salt on my jersey, shorts and everywhere else.

Most inspirational moment: Watching a young man who was in his teens who lost his legs due to cancer in a wheelchair powered by his arms. He would crank the peddles like a bike with his hands to make his chair go around the course. He had three teenage buddies who rode with him at his pace to ensure he was never left alone on the ride. To see this group of young men was inspirational.

The worst thing heard during the ride: “On your left.” I heard that so much that Saturday I wanted to puke. I tried to make a game of it by picking off riders in front of me and passing them but it did not work as the hours dragged by. I was being picked off way more than people I picked off.

Finally, the most important numbers, drum roll please!
Pledge donation total: $5,241.00 and counting.
I lost count of my millage during the ride. I thought I was at 250 plus or minus a few miles. So the last four hours I thought I could not get to my goal so I took it easy. Had I known I was that close I would have pushed harder and gotten the extra 5 or six laps to get me to 300. So much for doing math with little to no sleep and on the verge of total exhaustion. I was so disappointed after I calculated the millage back at the hotel. I need a better plan of the next time to help keep track of laps/mileage when my Garmin powers down.
It was well worth it, I will do anything to help stop cancer.