I have been planning this for the past few months but was not sure which route I would do. I didn’t make my decision until about 30 minutes prior to the start of the ride...... The 62 mile route, it would be!

This is the farthest I have ever ridden and the weather couldn’t have been better. It was a staggered start, 62 milers fast, 42 fast, than 62 moderate, 42 moderate followed by the 25 milers. The first 10 miles, the roads were crowded, but once we passed the first rest stop things started to thin out. When climbing the first big hill, I was about ¾’s of the way up when, the rider directly in front of me went down. Her and I were running at about the same pace and were crankin our way up the hill when her chain broke..... Down she went! I barely had enough room to get around her and I came close to rolling right over her head! She was alright, just a little frustrated and embarrassed. I had been following the group she was with for about five miles and was now on my own.... for the next 10 miles anyway.

At about 25 miles in I finally found my legs and just had a killer pace going, I felt great and was able to catch up with and stay close to a group of riders that had passed me earlier. The first rest stop I stopped at was 31 miles into the ride, rest stop #3. The crowds were minimal at this point, I was able to load up on snacks, Gatorade and take a 10 minute break before turning towards the North.

We now had the wind at our backs and the timing couldn’t have been better, the wind really picked up on the second half of the ride. When we started it was from the South at 7mph by the time we started to head North the wind was from the South-West at 18mph. I stayed with the same group for another 15 miles before they started to pull away. I was pretty much on my own the rest of the ride. I did visit one last rest stop at mile 52, and again there was plenty of food and water and no crowds.

I crossed the finish line, with a time of 3 hours and 59 minutes and an average of 15 mph. I meet up with Nathan, from the Bull and Bush, and as the two of us compared notes from the ride we realized that the 62 mile route was actually 60....... don’t know were the other two miles went but both of our computers read the same distance.

All in all, it was a great day. Incredible weather and beautiful scenery, the Blue Bonnets and other wild flowers were in full bloom. The folks who organized the ride did an incredible job, all major intersections were controled by the local police and DPS, the rest stops were well stocked, the route was well marked and the volunteers were friendly, outgoing and helpful.

Looks like I’ll be doing the Granbury ride this coming Saturday..... anyone want to join me? I NEED A RIDING PARTNER DAMN IT!