Strangest sign of the day, on the back of a guys bike.

Harry -
My name and condition.

Three more things...

Shirley's computer battery died 15.5 miles in.

Dude on a Huffy Mountain Bike...Must be one of Heidi's customers.

Interviewed by the CMU reporter for her story. 

8.31.11

8.31.11, a set on Flickr.

Day 1 pics

Day 1

An uneventful start to our ride was quickly dashed when it started to sprinkle.  The rain was done by the time we got just outside of Lansing except for the pelting rain and/or hail that was hitting Judy in the direction she was headed.  (She is simply a dork and couldn't take a few rain drops...)

The scenery was pretty much this:  Corn Fields.  Although we weren't without some pretty nice changes.  We passed by a field of Oregano that smelled awesome; and then the farmer with the manure spreader that pulled out in front of us was another "fragrant" part of our ride.

Lunch was okay (what to expect at the Perrinton VFW?) but when you're hungry...That's what I like about biking; no need to feel guilty about anything you eat. 

The best thing we got to see today had to be the two goats sunbathing on the top of some farmer's shed.  It had to be quite a sight from their perspective as well.

Dinner at CMU was way more than we expected and we also had ringside seats to watch everyone paw through the ice cream cart looking for "the right thing".  I must say the coffee was exceptional.

Pictures on their way after few Ibuprofen...

83011

83011, a set on Flickr.

Pre Ride day Ancliff to ELan

Last Ride

A leisurely ride up to Riverside and back 20 miles and that is it...Next time we get on our bikes it will be the real deal.  Thanks Barb and Jill for the send off ride!

Shout Outs...

Since today was our last day at the gym before we start our journey, it struck me that there are a lot of people that helped us along to this point, whether they know it or not, that should get a little recognition for their unknowing efforts...

Heidi, Aaron and all of our Spin people...You make it a little easier to go to the gym at 5:00 AM and always make it worth our while.  Getting to work out with inspirational people like Ed and Tom always makes you push yourself a little harder as well.  I'm quite certain now that I can "Do anything for two minutes..."

Our employers for working with our schedules so we could get the longer rides in when we needed to, and making the whole experience a little less hectic.

Our friends for riding with us (whether they were feeling up to it or not sometimes...), being "On Call SAG" when we were out for longer rides, and continually inviting us when we weren't available most of the summer due to training.  Thanks for your support and I promise I will make up for all the "Bad Behavior" you missed out on this summer.

And finally, our families.  We weren't available a lot of the time, but you were all very accomodating by working with our schedules and seeing to it the things that needed to be taken care of were.  It has really been a struggle emotionally for all of us this summer, but knowing we are all in it together has eased the pain a little.  Thank you for your support.

Now, if this were an awards show I would have been pulled off the stage by now...THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!

One Week

The reality finally sunk in this morning.  A week from today it starts and every question, doubt, confidence, that I have had is up in the air.  Not that my head doesn't spin, but I had every thought possible this morning.  I'm over it now, I'm ready to go, confident and prepared.  But for a minute...A bad case of the "Oh Shit's".

Weekend Off!!!

For the first time this summer, we took a weekend off...No riding at all; the only thing attached to our backside was a lawn chair, no bikes.  It was a welcome respite since we have come to the point where we have trained long enough and we are ready to take the ride.  Since this is our last full week before we take off, it will be "scale back" week and then get packed and ready to go.  We're ready; let's get on with it!!!

Ready to Roll (Mechanically, anyway...)

Got in a ride last night and figured we would load up the bikes and drop them off at Village to get them a good check up and get a few minor "adjustments" made before the trip.  Because it was fairly close to closing time and we didn't have an appointment we had planned on just dropping them off hoping we could get them back in a couple days.  No, not the case!!!  Seth was more than happy to take care of everything on both bikes if we wanted to wait.  GREAT SERVICE. 

Living Right?

Randy came for a ride on Saturday so we could get a good distance in together before we leave.  We left the house right after the rain cleared on Saturday morning, and rolled into the garage just as it started to sprinkle.  55 miles in between rain drops...I don't think we could have asked for more; could have easily gotten less.  Time to hustle my ride down to Village though; rode the first 7 miles with my rear brake on...

Uphill Both Ways...

I've been told the wind is simply a hill that you can't see...I swear we just rode uphill both ways tonight and the only thing missing was the foot of snow!

Octogenarian Encouragement

Wednesday's ride produced some of the best sideline cheer yet.  Riding out by Murray Lake an 80-something year old man cheering us up a hill from the seat of his scooter.  Very Cool. 

The Countdown Begins

August 1st.  30 days from the start and time to start thinking about inventory.  What do I need?  What do I take for 5 days?  At least I have this; I don't have to worry about shoes.  Like my sister, Kathy, I have a slight shoe issue...A girl can never have enough.  But if I only have to worry about having my bike shoes, I think I can pack accordingly.  One thing I can check off the list.

Happy Anniversary to our riding partner Randy and my aforementioned sister, Kathy.  I figure my odds are pretty good if he can put up with her for 36 years, he can handle me for 5 days.  But, that remains to be seen...