Are we there YET!?!

The Bike Masters spring century ride was today. What a blast. I would guess that we started with around 30 riders. The crew over at Bike Masters does a great job at organizing rides and activities for the biking community. They also bend over backwards to help us needy cyclists when we always seem to need help right now! So if you're in the market for a new bike, stationary bike, or treadmill, Bike Masters would be a great place to invest your dollar.

The ride was exciting from the very first moment. We made it a whole .00001 miles before the first flat tire. Yup, we didn't even get out of the parking lot. The Bike Masters crew did their thing in a matter of minutes and we were off again.

Here we are just before departing:

It was overcast and about 45ºF when we started. We spent some time riding north then east before dropping south through downtown, where I took this picture as we took a break.

By this time we had split into about 3 groups. One 3-4 man group blazing a trail, this group, and the main group. I think this group took a wrong turn and shaved off a couple miles by accident. The third group caught back up to us a few miles later when we stopped to fix the second flat tire of the day.

After this picture we spent 18 miles fighting a brutal headwind. It felt more like 50 and by the time we made it to the Flying J on Highway 31, I was spent. Another 10 miles north (fighting a cross wind), and more hills than I care to remember, we made it to Maple street. I'd like to give a big THANKYOU to Ryan, Rox, and the other two riders I was with, for waiting for me as I crawled up the last few hills.

Maple street was pure bliss. A 25mph tailwind made for a pleasant, and fast, return to the city proper and the Bike Master parking lot at 129th and Fort. Our group only managed 83 miles, but I'll call it a 100 mile effort after fighting all that wind.

What a great time, but I vote for no wind on the next one.