The ride took place over a week ago. I have not really been in the mood to blog. I am kinda in a slump right now, but I am working my way out.
The B2JB was pretty fun. I took it slow and steady. I was nervous and freaking out the whole time before the race started. The events before the race went like this: We met up with the rest of team Walgreens and got jersey. When I say the jersey was tight it was tight. I felt a little like a pig in a blanket, but it was not as tight as the V.I.B.E jersey. That jersey was like it was painted on. Anyways, we get our jerseys, take the team photo and start getting ready to ride. I get my bike ready, grab a crap ton of gu, and take my bike to the bike mechanics station to get my tire pressure checked. They check the tires and see that they need more air. This is were things start to go wrong. They inflate the tire, try to pull off the pump from the valve stem and rip the valve stem off. So, my tire now needs to be replaced. I walk over to the other mechanic station and they give me a new tube and I get it inflated. As I am getting my tire fixed the ride starts, so I freak out some, but I remember that this is a ride not a race. There is no official time or anything, just "survive". I hit the Start line and head out. The first rest stop is only 6-7 miles away. There is not much to say about the first leg of this adventure. There was a pretty large hill that I had to walk up, but I knew it was coming. I get over that hill and everything else before the first rest stop was gravy. I hit the first rest stop, grabbed water, Gatorade, and some snacks. I chatted with some members of Team Walgreens and a few other cyclist. Then, I head off again.
Rest stop two was 9 miles away from the 1st rest stop. The ride was not to bad. There were some rolling hills and a lot of me resting. Hills are my kryptonite. I did my best to power up as many hills as possible, but there were a few that I had to walk up. I am still in this fight. Before, I knew it I was pulling into the 2nd rest stop. At this point I felt great. Filled water bottles, pounded down some Gatorade, ate pickle chips, and talked with a few cyclist. Two members of team Walgreens and I head out for the next Waterin' Hole(rest stop) and lunch. The next stop is 14 miles away.
This seems to be the flattest part of the course. To bad I can't switch gears to add resistance, so I can propel myself forward. I totally feel like a hamster. My legs keep turning but I am barely going anywhere. Well, don't get me wrong I am still moving, but not as fast as I would like. I ride into the 3rd waterin hole with Rob and Mandy, also with Team Walgreens. Mandy and I hit the mechanics stand. I thought it would be a big fix for my shifter. It was NOT! The bike mechanic tightened/loosened a screw and that was it. Mandy's back tire had dry-rot. While her bike was getting fixed we had lunch, more Gatorade and water, and watched a little football. After lunch, we learned that the mechanic had to run to Walmart to get Mandy a new tire. So, we set back and waited until her bike was fixed, then we took off for the next waterin hole which was 12 miles away..
Some where on this section I start cramping. I grab my water bottle and pretty much empty it. I stop and stretch and keep drinking. I know once a cramp starts, it is hard to stop it from happening, but I was going to fight this until I had to stop. I get 6 miles in, pull into a church parking lot, and my my left leg just locks up. Luckily there was a sag wagon to pick me up and take me to the best darn waterin hole ever. Once we get to the Walgreens waterin' hole, I hobble out of the sag wagon, meet my wife. She helps me stretch and then I meet the massage ladies from Zen massage in Spring Hill. They work me over and get my legs as loose as possible, but I still can barely walk. So, I make a decision that I am going to sag the rest of the way. So, I hit 36.6 miles. I am freakin proud of what I accomplished. I actually signed up for an event with out prodding, trained for it, and participated.
After the ride we all got cleaned up and hit the party on the hill. It was some great food and music. As the night went on I slowly started dosing off in the middle of dinner and the bus ride back. As soon as we got back to the camp, we settled in our tents and got ready to go to sleep. I wondered how late is was since I was so freakin tired, after looking at my watch I found out it was only 7:30. Mike and Court was already asleep, but I could not sleep due to the noise from the buses. I finally got to sleep.
Day 2 I did not ride, due to soreness. I helped out at the Walgreens waterin' hole and then headed back to the Finish line at Page High School to wait for Mike to cross the finish line. All in all it was a good two days. I enjoyed every minute of it and though I cramped up. Next year I will go farther. Since, I pretty much have all year to train, I should conquer this beast.
Thank you to everyone who donated to this great cause and the cheers from friends on Facebook.
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