Red Ribbon Ride: Day 2

Here is what I wrote in camp the night after Day 2 on the ride.

July 18, 2008

Well, reading through yesterday's goals and thoughts on how today would go are interesting now that it's over. As of today (this afternoon sometime -- no idea of the exact time at all cause I was just not paying attention), I have ridden 150 miles in two days. And they were long, tough miles, especially today.

There were so many ginormous hills, during which I was in my granny gear (lowest gear). At one point, I turned back to Jeremy (a teammate from Team Wells Fargo who rode with me a lot today) and said "How many f_ _ _ _ ing more hills are there today?!" He chuckled. He's done the ride before about 3 or 4 times and says it's still tough, even for seasoned riders. It was nice on a lot of the big hills because there were crew and volunteers cheering us on, playing loud "pump you up" music, and one time, two men in their 50s or 60s rode to the top of probably the biggest hill of the day, and then they turned around, rode back down, and then rode back up again with other riders to help them, coach them, provide distractions with conversations, etc. It was so nice! I chatted with Tom, who said I was zipping up the hill very quickly and was doing well for a first-year rider. That made me feel good. :)

I did have some bike technical difficulties today. My gears were acting up, which made shifting really hard, especially when riding up and down so many hills. Thankfully, the problem is solved for now, but the Erik's (a bike shop) guy said my gears shouldn't be this worn after less than one year of use, and he recommended that I take it in when I get home to see if they'll hook me up with free repairs. Hope that works out! For now, I just hope to be able to finish the remaining 150 miles.

I met my goals I had set for myself today, so that's good. I finished without stopping, injury or too much pain. And I got a massage today (after waiting in line for like 2 hours). And, after it was suggested by my massage guy, I went and got a chiropractic adjustment!

Now, I'm just hoping my clothes dry by tomorrow -- they're hanging to dry in the tent (I rinsed them out in the shower so I can re-wear my shorts). Hope they're dry by morning!


Highlights of the day:

• Talking with Eric. I love him and love that he gives me Indy updates via text and pic messages. :)
  
• Katie's pit today was the MN State Fair. Hysterical! Katie was a carny who was missing teeth, there was a drag Princess Kay of the Milky Way, and even a real cotton candy machine!
  
• Ron, the masseur who was awesome and so nice. He kind of led me with relaxation/meditation type of thing along with the massage.
  
• All the music and cheering for us while climbing big-ass hills.
  
• Meeting more people and just chatting.


• Tried chamois butter (butt butter) for the first time. Note: A wise lady told me today not to use the menthol butter. She said, "It's not for the ladies. When it says 'slight cooling sensation,' it really means burning." I opted for the non-menthol, and it was fabulous.
  
• Katie taking charge of getting my bike fixed. She rocks and took care of it while I got to take a much needed shower.
  
• Going out to cheer the last 2 riders in to camp. It was very touching.
  
• Crying after learning that there no more big hills left today. I think it was a combo of: frustration at my bike gears for not working right when I needed them most, being done with all the hills, and being so close to done with what I'd heard is the hardest day of the ride.

Pics from Day 2:

Stopping at pit 2 for some cotton candy. It hit the spot.






Pit 2 Crew: MN State Fair