110.11 miles
299.05 total miles
8:09:14 bicycling time
13.5 mph average speed
Westfield, WI
I wish I'd brought a small notebook to carry with me to record things as they happen. Everything seems much less immediate at the end of the day. I was so depressed and frustrated at times yesterday, but now it seems very far away. And I know today had all sorts of emotions I've already forgotten.
We started out leaving the town we'd stayed in. Lots of people came out to cheer, which was nice. It's amazing how much of a lift that is. And Sue had heard that they'd had to provide extra security last night, because some residents didn't want the AIDS Ride coming through, so the cheering was especially nice.
Oh no, an ambulance just pulled in, complete with flashing lights. I stopped in the medical tent tonight to have my toenail cut off, and they said there were a couple of women who were really sick--badly dehydrated. I hope they'll be OK.
[Ed: Here's the toenail story --it has nothing at all to do with bicycling.]
Once we got out into the country, it was pretty flat with some rolling hills. There were a few tough ones, but nothing like yesterday's. The wind was in our faces again a good bit of the time. That gets really tiring--at least a hill eventually ends.
In the morning we rode by some cranberry bogs, and there was a surprise
pit stop--cranberry ice cream. Yum! It was very good,
but apparently it's only available up here. Well worth the stop.Speaking of pit stops: The crews do a fabulous job with them. Most have the same food: bagels, peanut butter, pretzels, Power Bars, fruit, etc. But a lot of times there'll be a theme. We've had Valentine's Day, Hawaii, a pajama party, a shower (the kind with water--everyone wore towels) and the 60s, for example. One of the better ones was today's last pit. A local man brought watermelon and set up a seed-spitting contest. Meanwhile, the women staffing the regular food were singing and doing the electric slide. It was fun and just the thing to perk everyone up. I also love Pit 4. The peanut butter comes in individual serving packages, and usually you have to dip whatever you're eating into the peanut butter. The Pit 4 crew, however, always spreads the p.b. on bagels, and today they were adding banana slices. Heaven!
I forgot to say, we got kind of a late start this morning. Neither Sue nor I was moving very quickly We didn't take off till about 7:20, and the first few miles were really rough. Sue ended up sagging at Pit 3, and I can't blame her, after working so hard yesterday. I hope she'll bounce back tomorrow.
The stretches before and after lunch were the worst today: very long and rather boring. I was chatting with anyone who passed by, but I was wishing for someone to ride with. I don't know anyone who rides at my speed, though. That's where doing more training rides would have come in handy; I could have met more people and found out who I'd fit in with. Oh, well.
Bicycling is great for living in the moment, something I'm not very good at. I'm always trying to figure out how much farther it is until the next break, but it really doesn't do any good. The break will come when it comes; there's no use thinking about it until then.
The ride ended with two short stages, which was nice. After Pit 4, it was pretty easy. There was a semi-major hill at mile 101; after that it was a matter of buckling down and finishing. It's really easy to make mistakes those last few miles.
There's more to say, but I'm being attacked by mosquitoes, and it's bed time. With any luck I'll remember it all tomorrow.
On to Day Four
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