Waking up after doing about 90 miles the first day, most of our legs were a little tired :)! The crew made an amazing breakfast; one that I typically might eat on a Sunday morning....meaning, everything you could imagine, they had made for us. We can tell that there will not be any shortage of food at camp and the chefs are happy to keep us fueled! But I cannot eat most of what they made...it's not Sunday and I'm going to ride and can't think about putting all that food down.. But, the guys?? No problem....they eat like horses??? or just a bunch of hungry animals...I drink my Shaklee protein shake, eat some yogurt, a banana and I'm good to go. My bottles are filled with water and Performance hydration drink, I've swallowed a handful of vitamins and I'm ready to ride! I see Kevin at camp and he offers to "lube" my bike for me, so I let him..I'll do anything to go faster and that seems to be a good idea because were riding at the coast and it gets a little salty and gritty around here!
We're ready for another exciting day of riding, and so we take off with a few other cyclists leaving camp, chatting about the day before and what happened in camp last night. Each morning we get a map of the days course and this day we go about 45 miles. Not exactly all flat, there were some good rollers and enough of them to wake your muscles up from the day before!
to be cont. gotta run!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Get on Your MARK, Get Set, We're Off!!!!
Wow! We're really here! All of us from around the country...including a cyclists from Jamaica, & France! The event began with check in Friday evening in San Francisco, and a kick off dinner with some great speakers! They spoke of cures for arthritis and how so many are overcoming their illness, first, with an amazing attitude, and second, by not seeing their "limitiations", but addressing their illness as a challenge to overcome adversity! There is one young woman here with 4 joint replacements and shes riding with us all the way to Santa Monica! These individuals have remarkable, inspiring stories! So, you see, the rest of us have "no excuses"!
Saturday morning came early with a breakfast at the Hard Rock Cafe! News channels were roaming about interviewing cyclists and taking fotos..We took one group foto and then we were off! Without knowing where we were going exactly, I took off in the lead (just so happened my bike was in the front of the pack) and the tour officially had started...they had us all chanting....
"We're riding for a cure! we're riding for a cure!!
We were all soooo excited!! Departing the city there were many twists and turns, the fog was heavy, and maps got wet....Dont know if thats why we got "lost" several times that morning??? but we eventually found our way back to the trail with the other riders!
Upon approaching the Cliffhouse on the coast, we could see the ocean, hear the pounding surf and feel the wet fog dripping off our helmets into our eyes..It was WET! But we were happy to be on our bikes!
The day was spectacular! The fog lifted after about 2 hours, and there were several "rest stops" for refueling, socializing, & stretching! The beauty of the day is indescribable and so much more beautiful and exhilarating than I had imagined!
We stopped at a Lighthouse with amazing views of the rugged coast and the ocean. We pedaled up rolling hills thru out the day, overlooking the vast blue ocean and enjoyed some fun descents as well. This day I met Kevin from Washington State and Tim from southern California. We spent the day riding together, taking in the views and the scenic roads, shooting photographs of each other and the scenery...Spectacular day!
Several hours later we arrived in Santa Cruz...my deceased brothers hometown. It's a place that always makes me smile and think of him when I go there. I thought, while I am in this town, I shall ride for him! Santa Cruz is a great place to ride bikes (very bike friendly city)
Some of us rode to our hotels, and others took off for the campground...You can guess which one I went too....
We all rode strong, safe and had an amazing day!!! Cant wait until tomorrow!
Now, go out and ride! Shelley
Saturday morning came early with a breakfast at the Hard Rock Cafe! News channels were roaming about interviewing cyclists and taking fotos..We took one group foto and then we were off! Without knowing where we were going exactly, I took off in the lead (just so happened my bike was in the front of the pack) and the tour officially had started...they had us all chanting....
"We're riding for a cure! we're riding for a cure!!
We were all soooo excited!! Departing the city there were many twists and turns, the fog was heavy, and maps got wet....Dont know if thats why we got "lost" several times that morning??? but we eventually found our way back to the trail with the other riders!
Upon approaching the Cliffhouse on the coast, we could see the ocean, hear the pounding surf and feel the wet fog dripping off our helmets into our eyes..It was WET! But we were happy to be on our bikes!
The day was spectacular! The fog lifted after about 2 hours, and there were several "rest stops" for refueling, socializing, & stretching! The beauty of the day is indescribable and so much more beautiful and exhilarating than I had imagined!
We stopped at a Lighthouse with amazing views of the rugged coast and the ocean. We pedaled up rolling hills thru out the day, overlooking the vast blue ocean and enjoyed some fun descents as well. This day I met Kevin from Washington State and Tim from southern California. We spent the day riding together, taking in the views and the scenic roads, shooting photographs of each other and the scenery...Spectacular day!
Several hours later we arrived in Santa Cruz...my deceased brothers hometown. It's a place that always makes me smile and think of him when I go there. I thought, while I am in this town, I shall ride for him! Santa Cruz is a great place to ride bikes (very bike friendly city)
Some of us rode to our hotels, and others took off for the campground...You can guess which one I went too....
We all rode strong, safe and had an amazing day!!! Cant wait until tomorrow!
Now, go out and ride! Shelley
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)