Feeling like a kid again

The past week or so I have had some great rides. I conquered my goal of riding 100 miles last Sunday at the Leelanau Harvest Tour. I left my house while it was still dark, light strapped on my road bike as I headed to Suttons Bay via the TART trail. I eventually met Susan on the trail, along with John from City Bike. Sunrise happened quickly as we rode along quietly and it was honestly just beautiful. Take a deep breath and just enjoy life kind of beautiful. We got to the high school, registered, and headed out with a big group doing the 65 mile route. As we rode along we picked up some solo riders and smaller groups, and so I got to meet some new people as well. The smile that lights up a person's face after you've introduced yourself and welcomed them to the ride is priceless. One of the best things about cycling is all the people you meet! There was a lot of wind that day, so being in a group was definitely a help. The tour was great as there were three food stops, plus the stop at the high school, so the breaks helped make 100 miles seem like not such a big task. The last climb up Herman road was unexpected, I haven't done that climb before-but the descent down was a blast. I TT'd it all the way down to the stop sign and was just flying. It was the best part of the ride. I stopped briefly at the high school, and John and I decided to skip lunch and head back to TC. When I got home I had my 101 miles. The biggest accomplishment of the day was taking care of the kids when I got home rather than heading to take a nap.

On Friday I took the day off from work and went to go ride the Peak to Peak route at Crystal Mountain. Rich and I were riding along that day discussing the benefits of using a camel pack during a race. I was dismissing the idea, hating camel packs myself. He was saying that it's good to use them because it is hard to let go of the handlebars to get a drink when you need it. Well, about 1/2 hour later, I was in a clear, open stretch and I thought that this is a great time to grab a drink of water. As I was drinking, I hit a small depression in the ground and lost all control of my bike. I was swerving around trying to get out of it but knew that I was going down. After an eternity, I finally hit and hit hard. I lay there for quite awhile, kind of half crying and feeling sorry for myself. Rich came back eventually, and had the decency not to say, "I told you so" about the water bottles. I got back on my bike and finished the lap and called it a day.

This morning, very sore and bruised, I contemplated if I should head out for a mountain bike ride today. The weather wasn't looking good, but I decided that I should go for it. About 5 minutes out the door it started raining, almost sleeting, pretty hard. I met a group at Einstein Cycles and the initial plan was to do an out and back to Kalkaska. We headed up Bunker Hill Road and it started raining again, and by the time we got to the VASA I decided not to go to Kalkaska, and just get a trail ride in with some single track. Gary and Cody ended up riding with me. I was thoroughly soaked, and in the single track there were some big puddles on the trail. There comes a point though,  where I don't care how wet and cold I am anymore (I am probably just completely numb) and just have fun with it. As I rode through the mud puddles I had a big smile on my face, and just felt like a big kid. The rain was actually pretty at moments as the sun came out and everything around us sparkled. This is stuff that you just can't see from your couch! We finished our ride strong and rode back home. After I hosed off my bike I kind of Frankenstein walked into the house since I couldn't feel my feet or hands. Russ took a look at me and had to laugh. He took my picture, but you really can't see the amount of dirt that is covering me, and how soaking wet I was. I am happy that I got back out there and didn't let a fall and some sore bones keep me home.