We all knew before we got out of bed on Saturday and started our ride that the wind was going to be brutal. We have a meteorologist on our floor at work, and he was riding with us, so we were as up to date as anyone could possibly be on the weather situation. A number of our fellow riders decided at the last minute to start in Waller for that very reason. This meant that they would have fewer miles to ride and a considerable stretch where the wind was at their backs.
I was not overly concerned at any point with the wind. I was extremely worried about rain. I knew that I could not safely ride in the rain. As the 25 mile an hour wind nearly blew me off my bike at some points during the ride on Saturday, I said praise aloud that it was not raining.
Still energized from the support in Fayetteville, I blew past the last rest stop of the ride on day 1. I was expecting to turn and have the wind at my back the last ten miles. The person that told me this would be the case was wrong. The head wind continued, but I rode along at a 20+ mph pace. I was having a blast and enjoying the little bit of a ride that I had left that day.
My Garmin read 100.48 as I approach the crowd in La Grange, I did a quick uturn and rode up a bit, and then down the finish line, so that it read 100.98 (WHOOP!) when I hopped off my bike. I nearly crashed by looking at my watch while I stopped. As soon as I was off my bike I spotted Trumpet, and Mr. I Ride Really Fast on a Bike. For the record, Trumpet rides just as fast as his Mr. I Ride Really Fast on a Bike. The two of them were there to greet our team’s incoming riders. I can not craft a sentence to completely describe how genuinely supportive the two of them were.
I was also thrilled to learn that they had set up our camp site while they awaited our arrival. Most people would have sat around and enjoyed the free beer, instead these two worked together to make the rest of everyone’s day better. So when we all arrived, instead of having to fight for power cords to blow up our air mattresses and figure out where to put what, all we had to do was enjoy the fun.
I walked my bike in to be greeted by our head volunteer. I think she has a Doppelganger working with her, I do not know how else she could have gotten everything she did done as just one person. Dr. Rho and other fellow co-workers that had volunteered their Saturday were also there to greet me. I was happy, happy, happy!
It is a great privilege to get to be a part of such a totally awesome team. I thought back to the days when everyone was teasing me about my crash…okay crashes, and I felt silly for being so overly sensitive. Trumpet and folks went completely out of their way to make sure everyone was safe and positioned to do their best, and my best is what I did. All I wanted to do when I got out of bed Day 1 of the MS150 was survive instead God blessed me with a top 100 day of my life.