Tour de Cure Ride

Today was Tour de Cure.  Our team rode a variety of rides 25 to 102 miles.  I went 77 miles.  We all hooked up at the start and started just before 8am.  As with most mass starts it was chaos in the beginning but it soon thinned out.  The roads got narrower as we road so we had a nice pace line. The CL was enforcing a doable pace of about 16 mph.  My heart rate did not get over 100 for a long time.  That was due to being in the pace line and the low speed. 

At one time I pulled into the wind for about 8 miles.  It allowed me to get into aero and just ride.  I kept the speed steady which is hard at the front of the pace line.  If you go too fast you lose the line, too slow and they pile up behind you.  The CL eventually told me to go to the back of the line.  I may have stayed out there all day long.

Well, we hit a rest stop and Stevbra wants ease the chafing in his pants so he puts on some chamios butter.  What he did not realize is that the kind he bought had menthol in it.  So it started a kind of tingling burning in places that are uncomfortable.  After a while he said it felt kind of nice.  He now had a pair of cool balls.  So his new nickname is Cool Balls or CB. 

If that was not enough CB, then comes up to a red stoplight and forgets to unclip and falls.  Not a good day for the CB.

We get to the last rest stop and have 9.5 miles to go.  I jokingly say to the CL that we should not go less than 20 all the way back. She is in front and throws down the hammer.  Bulky and I respond and hang on.  We are into a headwind and she is going about 20 to 22 mph.  We hit a light bad and loose the rest of the group.  The CL, Bulky, and I just keep powering on.  Finally, the CL lets up and I move up to the front and put the hammer down. She had pretty much wasted herself trying to drop me and Bulky.  My legs were just too fresh.  I still feel fine from the ride. 

CB, Snack Lady, and Hairy Scary catch up to us and we finish strong. 

It was a good day. 

The CL tells me later that she was purposely trying to drop me to test me to see if I had taken easy during the day.  I guess I passed. 

Later we had drinks and food at the Tap Room.  It was a good time.

That is all for now.

Train Hard, Train Smart
XXX