Greetings all,
Well, it’s called “The Tough Day” for a reason… 98 miles, in over 90 degree heat, with monstrous climbs right at the start and right at the end… With a few killer climbs in between thrown in for good measure… Not that we want to make it a tough day, but there’s only one road that goes the way we needed to go today- So that’s how we had to go- Or, as the saying goes, “You can’t get there from here”. Sorry for no post when I arrived here, but it got hectic.
It began raining as the majority of riders summited Crawford’s Notch- Lightly at first, for probably 30 minutes- Then it poured. As we all know from driving, rain makes the roads slick, and can cause hydroplaning- Add some RR tracks and… Well, two of our riders fell victim to that today. One used the pavement to crack their helmet, and the other used it to crack a clavicle. The one with the cracked helmet is thankful for the helmet- $100 to guarantee that you don’t spend the rest of your life talking like you have a mouth full of Cole-slaw is the best $100 you’ll ever spend- The other is obviously disappointed, but wants to continue on for the remainder of the week as a volunteer to help make sure everyone else has a great time… I know that spirit, and I admire it, mainly because I became a volunteer in a very similar, although less abrupt way. I hope it works out for them.
About 12:30 today, at rest stop 2 in Bath, NH, the sun broke- Then it got hot. And sultry. 90+ in the mountains with high humidity is brutal- but they did it. A true testament to their training, skill, and dedication… OK, maybe a little stubbornness too.
10:30 and I’m drained from the heat, and looking forward to the shortest shower of my life before I hit the pillow and hope for 6 good hours of sleep before we do it all over again tomorrow, (Our shortest day) hoping that the weather will smile on us as we continue on our mission: To find a cure for Diabetes.
I propose a toast: Here’s to the day we can ride together as friends, because Diabetes has been cured. Cheers.
Keep the wind at your back, and the downhills in front of you
GearMan
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