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There were so many people at the start. And at 6, we all funnelled
out of the
parking lot to start the ride. I had a riding plan - 2 rest stops (40
miles and 70) - and a feeding plan which included a specific number of
calories per hour with various power "foods". And to avoid the
leg cramps
experienced last year, I planned for lots of fluids, much of it with
added electrolytes. As the sun rose to the east, our lead group of some
100+ riders warmed up on route 20 at a moderate pace, shown here. As you
can see, the weather was perfect.
Chris rode
with me. He had never been at the very front of the ride, so I pulled
him up there - it's always fun to say you've led the ride. If you open
the picture on the left, you might be able to see Chris and me
in the "spotlight",
just left of center. I've got the red helmet
with black arm warmers; Chris has the blue & white helmet and
blue and white sleeves. Click here
for a version without the spotlight.
After the initial 5 mile police escort, we turned right for the first set of
hills. I was still feeling intermittently ill. The pace and
effort were picking up, and I was determined to stick to my
plan, but this is hard to do when you feel lousy! After the first
set of hills, the front group was reduced to about 40. Soon after
passing the 20 mile rest stop, I just had to back off and let the
front group go. I rode alone
for a few miles, then noticed a rider out ahead - an outcast from the
front group. It took some time to catch up, but I eventually caught
John Peterson, with whom I rode during last year's ride. I explained my
situation to him, and he graciously pulled me along, and kept me
company through to the 40 mile rest stop. There, I forced myself to
eat, since even if I was a little off pace, I was still
working hard. John and I joined up with a group of about 12 riders.
I tried to work a little, but eventually shuffled myself to the back
and dropped off. I was still unwell.
Relief!
FINALLY, after about 52 miles, I was feeling hungry. I ate a Clif bar,
got picked up by a small group, and rode with them through to the 70
mile stop. There, I rejoined a number of friends, including John
Peterson and others who were about to leave. Out of this stop,
it's mostly flat, and we made a good, fast pace. Some of the group
ducked into the 98 mile stop, including John P,
although I did not know it at the time - I was concentrating on the
wheel in front of me! We flew through the Wareham/Onset area, where
there's a slight but continuous upgrade for about 5 miles.
Some car traffic caused a split in the group, but three of us remained
together to the finish.
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