WildBill

Started off at the head off the pack, actually was 1st place for the first 5 miles...(I should be in the local papers as there were photographers there). I hooked up with a couple other riders that were up there in the front w/ me and we got a pretty good lead on everyone else.

We were going along fine for about 10miles until I started wondering why I couldn't see anyone else in my rear mirror...we came up on the first rest stop in record time...the workers there were like "wtf??? how fast were you going, we didn't expect to see anyone this early!"...Then we realized we had taken a wrong turn about 10 miles back and had cut about 20 miles out of our 60 mile route by doing so....FUGG!!!!

So long story short, we opted to ride back 10 miles, then turn around and come back, to make up the difference in distance. Once we got back, others were just showing up! FWIW, we found out other riders had gotted mixed up too...the markings were bad at one point and we assumed we were going the right way (into a paved bike trail).

That was the first boo boo for the day....the second one for me was getting close to mile 40 I need to stop and stretch / carb load...well there was suppose to be a 40 mile rest stop so we were looking. I got stuck at a light as the other couple riders made it thru the intersection and couldn't catch back up with them so I figured I'd see them at the rest stop...well 40,42,44,48 miles later I was like WTF??? where in the heck is this dang rest stop, I'm fricking beat! Finally around mile 50 I see a few bikes coming up on me, so I slow down to ask them. The guy says "oh yea, it's about 10 miles back that way! We saw you blow by and figured you must not needed anything and were fine". Then here come the other two riders I was riding with, they had stopped, fueled up...drained some "liquid" and everything. Come to find out it was on the left across an intersection, and I was assuming it to be on the right hand side...

I was pretty bummed, so I decided to pull over and had some grapes that I had on in my pack and stretched for about 5 minutes...I was pretty sore at that point. All I had to eat was 2 bananas for breakfast, a couple GU gel packets and a handful of grapes. Drink was just water and Gatorade..

Anyway...finished the ride...60 miles, 3:39 minutes...not bad, under 4hrs which was my goal including rest stops...of course only stopping at the first one and then blowing by the other one made a difference...but man am I sore!

So it was good training for the MS 150 Bike to the Bay ride coming up at the end of the month. Glutamine and Glucosamine are your friends!

geneman

Congrats! There's nothing like the feeling of completing a long ride.

-mark

gabiker

We did the Tour de Cure out of Chattanooga TN, this weekend which was a 2 day 150 mile ride. Didn't pay much attention to times though we were just enjoying the scenery and the people. I think we finished both days at about a 15.5mph average on a very hilly and a couple small mountain course so we weren't complaining. Raised a lot of money and had a great time.

Philli...