All The Hard Work Is Done

Well, it must be close to Halloween, because Trek Travel tricked us.  Today's ride turned out to be about 11 miles longer than promised; one final century ride.  The discrepancy made following the directions a challenge and the last ten miles were nerve racking enough.  The road surface was bumpy and rutted, with no shoulder.  In addition, traffic was heavy, with lots of dump trucks blowing horns and school buses that passed very close.  Oh well, we're here and ready for tomorrow's 40-mile celebration ride to the Charleston.

I've noted how confusing it is to get up and ride each day.  Nobody's been hurt badly on the XC; however, we've laughed at how the conversation with some doctor might go:  "Where are you going today?  I don't know.  What city did you leave this morning?  I don't know.  What day of the week is it?  I don't know.  What day of the month is it?  I don't know, but lunch is at 58.2.  Hmmm...this sounds like a serious concussion.  Admit him at once!"

I've included a picture of my leather saddle.  I don't know if you can see it clearly, but the left side is bent down far more than the right.  At the tip of the saddle you can see the tension bolt, which can be turned to stretch the leather and remove any concave shape developed over too many miles.  My back has almost 27 degrees of scoliosis and the saddle certainly shows which way I lean.  During my summer training, I experienced serious chafing and was 'treated' by Gary, the bike fit guru, at Richardson Bike Mart in TX.  He had me face the wall and raise this and that arm.  Then, I turned around and he circled a small flashlight around my eye.  I then faced the wall and he circled a magnent around my lower back and prounced me cured.  He said he ajusted my optic nerve to affect my pelvis position.  It sounded like a lot of malarkey to me too, but it worked.  I think I need to see Gary again, real soon.

We leave tomorrow at 9:00 and will have a police escort thru Charleston.  A lunch/beer break is scheduled at Poe's Tavern, 2210 Middle Street, Sullivan's Island, SC; (843) 883-0083.  It sounds like this will be the first time we see some of our family and friends.  We then ride together the final 7 miles to a resort, where we'll dip our wheels (and ourselves) in the Atlantic Ocean.  This will be followed by dry cloths and a Trek Travel Happy Hour, which all my family is invited to attend.  

Denis and I averaged 15 mph for the XC and I lost 12 pounds.  My combined time for the XC was probably 219 hours.  My diet included no visits to the gym or personal trainer and I ate everything in sight for 40 days.  A little  bike riding was included.

Below is a shot of Denis riding along side cotton fields and our last picnic lunch.  It's been a blast, thanks for following along.  Please remember, this XC ride is a fund raiser for a school serving very poor kids in Guatemala and they need a gym.  Donations can be mailed to:

His Appointed Time Mimistries

P. O. Box 1351

Snyder, TX 79550.

One last photo of my darling wife, Sherry.

God Bless!