Went on the ride with Rob my hubby, and Ken (kenj). This was by far the longest, and most difficult ride I've ever been on. At mile 12 I began questioning what I was doing. There was just hill after hill. Some were short and steep, some were long and gradual. I'm sure some of you heard my screams as I went down some of the hills. And no, not from me actually screaming (although I felt like it), but from the brakes on my bike. They love to squeal!! Just ask kenj. You knew if I was behind you on a big hill or a stop sign!

There was one big hill I felt fairly comfortable going down carefree. I hit 44.6 mph. The other big down hills I didn't feel very comfortable with. There were stop signs with cars stopped thinking they might go, and driveways, and curves that I didn't know what was on the other side. If I had known the route I might have beat the 44.6 max speed ( I would have!).

At mile 9.5 my chain fell off. Thanks to kenj holding my bike up and Rob giving a tug here and there, I got it on without too much trouble. That was the only malfunction of the three of us.

We stopped for about 15 minutes at the aid station which was about the 1/2 way mark. I ate a banana and drank some water. Filled up my water bottle. Later on I had wished I had eaten a bit more, but I survived.

Ken and I would stop occasionally for Rob to catch up to us. Poor Rob. Aside from absolutely no "training" on a bike in years, he had borrowed Ken's 10-speed hybrid which slowed him down a bit. Even with those 2 obstacles, he did great, though, and ended it with a smile on his face!

Need to train more!!!!

Walked around a bit and stretched. Drank an entire gatorade. There was a nice cookout afterwards that we were able to stay for for about 45-50 minutes. Had a yummy hamburger, pasta salad, bean salad, and cookies, of course! Talked with Dudley and Ken for awhile and a few other participants. It was very nice and laid back and fun!


A very organized but laid back event. Small numbers and no competitive feel made it enjoyable. It is a very tough course so it's a great training ride. There are spectacular views of mountains and lakes and countryside. A fantastic ride that kicked my ass! :) Dudley's an awesome RD and the volunteers were soooo nice!!!