The past several years the ride on the Vineyard the first Saturday in May has been beautiful. This year it was anything but beautiful. The forecast was for a cool, clear, and overcast ride. What we actually had was rain, cold, and wind. Though to be fair it didn't actually start raining until we were all out on the road, and up until that point I thought wearing just shorts was a fine plan. In any case I started the ride in high spirits, and planned to enjoy my first 100k on my road bike after suffering through it last year on the mountain bike.
By the end of the ride I was well soaked through. My knees, wrists, hands, and fingers were all numb. My legs were a marvelous shade of purple, and my energy was completely sapped. I completed the ride in 4 1/2 hours with stops, though I found after the first two stops that I really couldn't afford to waste anytime standing around. Every stop meant I wasn't moving, and my core temp would plummet. I think part of the reason I finished as fast as I did is I was pretty much just moving as fast as I could to keep warm for the last half of the ride. Many of the 100k riders dropped out, and I don't blame them. It was a really hard ride, and I feel I earned every last penny in the donations I received from Turbine and individual sponsors.
Once I had some food in me post ride I started to feel a little more human again, and I really enjoyed the rest of the trip. We camped out with the whole Folks on Spokes crew at May and Wally's yet again, and it was like a little family reunion. The trip as a whole is really a highlight every spring. The grilling team really outdid themselves this year. The post ride meal was just awesome, made even more awesome by the post ride nap just before.
Unfortunately I've been down and out the last two weeks with a horrible cold. I hate to blame the ride, but it really sapped me and I think it left an opening for the virus to get in and cause some real damage. My cough is still racking and deep. Hopefully it'll take its leave this weekend.
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