I went to bed Sunday night with the plan to wake up and go do the TAB Memorial Day Ride - a metric century. I didn't sleep well and my shoulder was still a little tense after the cramp I got when I was running. When I woke up at 7am, I looked for a reason, any reason, to not go on the TAB ride. Every step I took I evaluated how my feet felt. When I took a sip of my coffee, I gauged how my belly felt. Nothing. I couldn't find any reason to not go on this ride. But, you're supposed to bring a side-dish, I said to myself. Certainly you can't show up without a side-dish, could you? Of course I could. I could just offer some cash to compensate the host for her effort and expense. RAIN! The forecast said it was going to rain! But, I've been wet before. WIND! Yesterday, the forecast said we would be getting some wind in the mid teens. You can't justify spending 4 hours on a bike if there's a chance of going kiteboarding, right? Alas, the updated forecast didn't look like anything I would be able to use.
Out of possible excuses, I loaded the bike on the bike rack, changed into my bike shorts and a tee-shirt, put on my socks and shoes and got in the car. I had to make a trip back into the house for water bottles, but I was still able to make it to Sidecut with plenty of time to spare. When I got there, I saw about a dozen cars and people unloading their bikes. Familiar faces included my coworker, Tim, and two of the people that I rode with on Saturday. By the time everyone had arrived, I knew Tim, Matt, Chris, Rick Nick, John, Laura, and Nicole. All together, there were 27 of us making the trip.
We left Sidecut and rode to Waterville where we crossed the river and connected with Rt 65. We stayed on 65 the whole way to Napoleon stopping once in Grand Rapids for a potty break and a chance to get out of the saddle for a minute. That was 16 miles into the ride. The next stop was Napoleon. We stopped at the gas station at the south side of the bridge and watched their "parade". It was only a marching band, 2 police cars, the mayor sitting in a convertible, and a WWII jeep. they stopped on the bridge and offered a 21 gun salute and then there was a fly over by 2 of the 180th's finest. We all thanked Rick, the ride leader, for arranging such a terrific ride event. We're still not sure how he got the fly over with just the $12 dues paid by the TAB members, but we told him that next year we expect three planes for our money.
The ride back was a non stop trip to Haskins, where Nicole lives. She was the host of the cook-out. There were hot-dogs and hamburgers to go with the side-dishes that everyone contributed. As we sat and ate, a storm passed just to the north and a small shower caught our location. Once the weather broke a bit, we saddled up and rode the final 8 miles back to Sidecut park.
Today, I did a lot less pulling and I enjoyed a nice 20mph ride in the middle of the pack. Riding with a big group like that requires one to pull a lot less, so I did my share. It was just a smaller share. The final tally was 69 miles in 3 hours and 46 minutes giving us an 18.4 MPH average speed.
Betty Boop Tue Jun 01 08:19:26 AM Listen to your body - it will tell you when it has had enough. You did the smart thing. Reply
BizB Mon May 31 07:55:13 PM I couldn't tell you the last time my legs were the limiting factor in a run. That, however, was the case, tonight. I gave up after 2.5 miles because my calves were really fatigued. The lungs were plenty deep enough. My legs just gave up. Reply
taz Wed Jun 02 06:36:47 PM 
Betty Boop Tue Jun 01 08:19:26 AM 
BizB Mon May 31 07:55:13 PM