5am - Alarm goes off
6am - After having a protein bar, drinking plenty of water, and packing up the car it was time to head out to Dripping Springs for the ride. From our house to Dripping it is generally about 30 minutes but there is construction out there and it goes down to a single lane so we wanted to make sure we got there in plenty of time.
6:50am - Got to the parking lot and began gearing up.
7am - Carri and I began the walk to the start area which was about a mile away from where we parked.
7:20am - Realize that walking is not gonna cut it and hop on the bike to make sure that I get to the start on time, while Carri walks the rest of the way.
Off into the early morning I ride.
7:21am - Realize the start is just barely over a rise from where I left Carri 200 yards back. Oops.
7:22am - Hear that the ride has been delayed by 20 minutes with a new start time of 7:50.
7:25am - Meet back up with Carri and enter the starting area to wait for the start.
7:50am - After the National Anthem and a brief speech by Lance Armstrong it was time to head out on the course.
The route this year is the same as last year and even though it is much prettier than the route they used before moving the ride to Dripping Springs it is also much more difficult with tons of hills and often times country roads that are in varying states of disrepair. Luckily for the past two weekends I have driven out to Dripping and ridden the majority of the route so I was pretty familiar with the surroundings. This proved to be very beneficial both from a physical and psychological standpoint.
Nothing overly exciting occurred on the ride which is always nice. The rest stops were nicely stocked with an assortment of goodies and everything needed to recover. I only wish they would have had something salty as near the end of the ride I did start to feel the beginnings of cramps but was able to finish before they set in.
Approximately 11:30am - Came through the finishers shoot with a time on bike of 3 hours and 28 minutes and an average speed of 18.4 MPH. I was pretty happy with that since this is not a race, I did not ever really sit with a group and draft, and the terrain out there is so hilly.
Approximately 11:50am - After I had finished, drank some liquids, and changed I heard a pretty big commotion about someone else finishing.
Geez, Lance if you want to participate in the Grand Tours again you should not let a recreational rider such as myself finish before you on a semi-hilly course. I thought you were the King of the Hills. What gives? Good luck on that comeback, buddy.
[Editorial sidebar: Mr. Armstrong completed the 90 mile route, while Mr. Stansbury only completed the 65 miler.]
After the ride I grabbed a few slices of pizza, a bag of potato chips, and a beer and then it was home for a well deserved nap.
Once again I want to thank everyone that donated as well as Carri who played her role of support crew to perfection.
