I got the the start around 6:30. Put my bike together, dropped my bag off and made all the last minute preparations that you have to do at any event. I met up with a bunch of people from my company and we took a picture together at the start line. The weather was OK at the start. About 70 degrees and cloudy, perfect for riding. We took off right at 7:30. I started near the front since you never know how skilled the riders are going to be and you don't want to start a ride in a crash.
The first few miles were just a huge group as people started finding their pace. At 5 miles in I was by myself for a little while. That didn't last long as I was swallowed up by a group of about 15 riders. This was OK with me since the more riders you are with you can go faster with less effort due to the reduced drag. We came up on a wooden bridge a few miles later that we had to get off our bikes and walk across. Apparently a few people had already fallen pretty hard on it since it was a little wet. We stayed as a group until a rest stop at mile 35. I got some more Gatorade and a few snacks and headed on out again. At mile 25 or so, the rain started. Not real bad at first but it steadily got harder. I had a rain vest with me and put it on for a little protection. I got with another group for a while until the hills started and we separated.
There were quite a few "good" steep and long hills that really pushed you. One of the worst was dubbed "Pirate Hill" around mile 58. We came around the corner and all of a sudden you were on a steep incline with no warning. I heard that quite a few ended up getting off and walking it. I was tempted but no one else around me was so pride got me up. Right at the top there was another rest stop with a Pirate theme, hence Pirate Hill.
After a rest of about 5 minutes I set out on my own. There were a couple fun descents where I got up over 35MPH, but that was short lived since you have to climb another hill. There were a few dogs that liked chasing bikes, but a stern "Go Home!" usually did the trick. The rain finally started letting up about mile 63.
Here you can see what we just came through.
The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. I was by myself at this point and just riding. I got to the finish line after riding 75.5 miles in 4:23:46.
My GPS said I burned 3,900 calories. Not too shabby. I think the distance was a little short since I forgot to start my GPS right away after the rest stops.
All of our bikes were filthy. The rain plus gravel roads and dirt did a number on us.
These socks were white...
After getting in to the rest area I grabbed some food, few drinks (no beer though...) and watched college football the rest of the day. Dinner was some really good BBQ (brisket and smoked bologna), french fries, cookies and cake.
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