7:30 AM - Sunny skies and temp above 50 so I went for it. Did a long ride. Was going to go farther but when I stopped at home to refill my water bottles Jonny and Kyle were there and about to leave to go meet my mom and Harry at Applebees. The scouts had a pancake fundraiser there this morning and we decided to get lunch there.
The ride today was fun. I went down into Charlton and then over to Saratoga, stopped at mile 28 for water at the springs (I'm cheap like that.) There was a tour group of Japanese men and women and I had to giggle as I was filling up my bottles with spring water and they tried the sulfur laced mineral water. Haha. Then I gave them directions to the Hall of Springs. Got a coffee and bagel at Borders and then biked home, went past my house and decided it would not be a true ride without at least one circuit of the hill of doom. I will now refer to this loop as the Widowmaker, a 7.5 mile ride of true hell. Three vicious uphills followed by 2 miles of the fastest downhills around. I am completely exhausted and yet still need to manage to do an 8 page proposal for tomorrow's class as well as prepare for a 15 minute presentation on a chapter I haven't read yet. Oops!
Funny thing was about 15 miles into the ride I saw the lead runners in the Tour de Cure ride (either 25, 50, 62, or 100 miles) for the American Diabetes Association. They were basically following my route only backwards, so I was swimming upstream. They actually weren't riding very fast and later on I ended up riding WITH them a bit on Route 29 and I was going a good 5-6 mph faster them! I am really anxious to find a bike race to enter! I want to see how I can do! Favorite quote from a cyclist going the other way was a lady that was waving at me furiously, "Other way man! Other way! You're going the wrong way!" I wanted to yell back "NO no. I'm poor and can't afford the 250 buck minimum entry fee! Sorry!!" I am also anxiously anticipating Century Ride #2. Should I do a point to point? Maybe I will follow their route! Heck, the numbers and arrows are still painted on the roads! I think that's just what I might do! Need one more decent long ride and then I'll have my confidence to gun for the next century!
Total Time: 3:16:57 Total Distance: 55.75 miles Average Speed: 17.0 mph | 
