These Hills Are Not the Boss of Me!

O. M. G.

Up at 5, Sadie was making new friends right away. She says Emma is so cool!

The plan this year was to get to the front of the lineup so that I could head out early in the pack and shave a half hour off of last year's time of 7.5 hours on day 1. 

So.. Up front Sadie & I went!

And out the gate at 9am. :) We were off and riding like the wind (unless there was a hill, then we rode like a tortoise). The first rest stop came up in no time at all. I hear rumors that it was only 15 km into the ride. Sadie was feeling good and I was set on snacks & water so we took a pass. Off to the second stop we went.

During the first 2 legs of the ride there were 2 riders down, both in car vs rider events. Nothing appears to be broken for either rider and we hope that they are okay. 

Rest stops were amazing, as usual, with water, snacks, snacks, and snacks and many helpful volunteers. Did I mention the super clean and plentiful porta potties? :D 

Sadie had a quick checkup due to her stubborn refusal to shift into the largest front gear. As I suspected, her bottom bracket is pretty loose and needs replacing after the ride. The helpful bike mechanic gave her a tweak and she performed better for the remainder of the ride. 

Lunch was far better this year and I was happy to have the turkey & cheese out of the sandwich along with a super gooey, chocolatey, tasty brownie. 

1 more stop after lunch and we were on the final leg. 

Now, I need to send a HUGE Thank You out to Alex, Jimi, and Adam who were the best ride buddies EVER! Not that they rode WITH me, exactly but they rode past me after every rest stop and always had something wonderful to say. :) Guys, I truly enjoyed your company today. Alex, I've stalked you on Facebook already and look forward to looking up your radio program. Adam, my name is not Mary but I'll share cheese & wine or beer & nachos with you anytime. Jimi, I am absolutely still having an amazing time!!! 

Did I mention that I did the 115 in 6 hours today? Oh, yeah! :D

And now, time to call it a night. See you all in the morning!!