I am very sorry that I haven't posted in the past week. I will make it up with an awesome road trip in the upcoming month, I promise. Honestly, I haven't been riding all that much, but I got some good info. last weekend. First, I am going to address a challenge that was thrown my way by one of the readers, and then I will get to the ride.
The Challenge started last week, when an email was sent out to Lucas and me from Joe. The email basically tested my ability to get into beast mode. He proposed a race to 100 miles. The first biker to ride 100 miles wins. The terms were the two losers will buy the winner a gallon of makers mark and a drink at the bar next time we are together. Emails started going back and forth and we came up with rules, which are: one ride per day, upon completion of the century mark an email will be sent out marking victory, you have to actually pedal these miles [you can't hang on to a car window]. The challenge peaked my interest. I was up for it. I considered leaving work when I got the email and just hammer out 100 miles. For some unknown reason, the challenge was postponed. For me, this was a good thing because I ran into some trouble later this week. So, the challenge has been issued and the pressure is on. Joe is pretty confident. I guess we will see. I did want to post the challenge on here before it ended so if Joe does win then he will get his due in public, but if I win watch out.
On to the actual riding of the past week. Lucas has been riding a lot more than me. I am really impressed by his commitment. He has been knocked down 20 miles like 4 times last week. I went with him last Friday, and I blew out a tube early in the ride. While I was carrying my bike back to the house, I saw the best man ever. Here I am walking down the street, and I see this old guy riding in a hover round [the electric cart/buggy thing that old people ride at walmart]. As he gets closer, I can see he has a 40 oz. in his lap. I was so happy to see a guy drinking a 40 riding in the street in an electric wheel chair. Who am I to judge? Sometimes you got to have a 40. Anyway getting back to the bike, that Saturday Lucas and I drove down to a new bike shop [much closer to my house than the other one]. I wanted to get a tube, look at the bikes, and talk to the guy there. These bike shop guys are loaded with good information, and they are dying to tell someone. All you have to do is ask a few questions, and you can get a ton of helpful info. While I was talking to the guy, I found out that I had been using the wrong size tube. This can account for at least two of my flat tires. Also, I have been using this tool to put the tire back on the rim, and I am not supposed to be doing this because it pinches the tube between the tire and the rim which causes the tube to tear [ three more flats]. Now that I know this should keep me on the road longer.
After I fixed my flat tire, I was ready to go. Yesterday after work, Lucas and I packed the bikes into the back of my truck, and drove to halfway house. We unloaded and set out for Manchac. We kind of got aggressive with our pace. On the way there, we averaged about 16 mph. When we arrived in Manchac, we decided it was necessary to try to make it to the top of the Manchac Bridge. It is a pretty intimidating sight. The bridge is 15 miles into the ride, and it is a wicked incline. As we were passing the Beacon Bar, I yelled to Lucas that we should tame this beast. I shifted to a higher gear and cranked up the pace. The incline hit me like a wave in the surf. I just kept pushing through, and finally, we made it to the top. We stopped at the top for a drink of water and a breather. Now it is the fun part. I shoved off, and turned around. I laid down to be as aerodynamic as possible, and adjusted my grip so I could reach the brake if need be. I was going about 26 mph when I got to the bottom of the bridge. All I could think about was some kind of mechanical failure, and me flying off the bike and eating asphalt. Thank goodness nothing happened, and I glided off for a while then started pedaling again. It was awesome. I really can't wait to do it again. By this time it was late, and bugs were a serious problem. Imagine the bumper of your car after a road trip. This is what my face felt like. It was also pretty creepy riding through Ruddock [an excellent place to dump a body] at night. There is nothing around for miles, and nobody to hear your screams. We didn't have any problem or encounter any UFOs or anything. After a few miles, I could see street lights in the distance. I had this marked to be Peavine rd, which would mean there were only a few miles left. When we finally got close enough to see the lights up close, I realized that it wasn't Peavine rd. I was devastated. As we continued, I finally did see the lights that would be Peavine, and we were home free. About 2 more miles and we were done for the night. Back at halfway house we ate, and went home. 30 miles complete, and today it hurts. I need to be more consistent with the number of rides I make during the week. This will help me tolerate the saddle [I think].
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