78 miles!

Earlier this afternoon I got done riding 78 miles in the 100 degree Dallas heat. I can't believe it! It's my longest ride to date and it makes me feel like I can do RAGBRAI here in a few weeks, no problem. Or at least a few days of it. Here's the rundown.

Good - Starting out the ride at 7:30 at 80 degrees and little wind. And heading west out of the glare of the sun coming up. Decided right then to do the 75 and not the 100 miler because of the heat. Good choice, as it turns out.

Bad - The wind kicked up just a bit and gave us a headwind for a good chunk of the ride.

Good - Not even 5 miles into the ride, meeting not one, but two people who are also doing RAGBRAI this year - Dick and...aw crap, what was his name? Anyway, the guy not Dick did it last year and gave us a lot of tips, including bringing only a few changes of clothes, eating anything from Pork Man (that sounds so bad) and bringing about $30 cash each day in small bills.

Good- No pain in either foot after having those warts dealt with last week.

Good - Great aid stations with super nice volunteers at every one. Lots of pickle juice.

Good - Mostly ate the right foods/drank at the right time. Did better than a lot of people who were sagging and cramping in the heat.

Bad - Around mile 30, a man passes me. His shorts are a little thin in back. Too thin, in fact. I can see his hairy butt crack. If it were a nice butt, that would be one thing, but it's one of those flat butts guys tend to get. I try not to make eye contact with it, but it stares at me. Thankfully, he moves ahead.

Good - Left the mile 37 aid station feeling really great.

Bad - Realizing that the reason my hooha is hurting so much is that my bike seat is canted at a very slight angle to the left. Need to remember to fix that at an aid station.

Good - Felt fantastic and rode well and fast through miles 40-45, even passing a few people.

Bad - Bonked at mile 45.5 as the heat kicked in and we had a long, slow mostly uphill to mile 50. Felt my head start to tingle and my body get a few chills. I know enough to know that this isn't a good sign. Rode at an agonizing 7-8 mph up this hill I thought would never end.

Good - Finding the aid station at the top of this hill wasn't an illlusion.

Good - Mile 50 aid station avoiding the very serious temptation of sagging in. The truck was there and I stared at it intently. One volunteer saved my ride by spraying me down with a pump sprayer full of cold water. He was my hero and told me to sit for a while, then go on. I need to write a note to the ride organizers.

Bad - Forgot to get the seat fixed. Ouch!

Good - Using my new thermal bottle and adding ice at every aid station. It kept the water at a cooler temperature than using the regular bottles - especially in this heat. Need to get one more smaller one for the front cage.

Good - Finally turned north where a tailwind could kick in to help. Miles 50-65 flew! The road was flat and fast. I rode the white line for most of the ride, smoothing out the path.

Bad - Tailwinds don't help keep you cool.

Good - Met and chatted with a guy named Ryan for these last 5 miles about trail running. Turns out he's the RD for El Scorcho and has done a bunch of long races.

Good - Felt pretty good going out of the 66 mile aid station knowing the end was very near. Turned into an old barnsour horse and scooted home quickly.

Bad - Bonked again near mile 70. The heat was bad and I couldn't make as good of time. Got queasy. Wanted to either cry or puke, but could do neither. At least the finish line would be in 5 miles.

Bad - Mile 75 and we're not at the end. Dropped a few f-bombs as I passed through the cute downtown area of Waxahachie. I didn't want cute, though, I wanted the f'ing finish line. Still wanted to cry!

Good - Another poor, beat up soul rode with me the last 3 miles. Not much chatter, but it was good to have another soul to share the misery with us.

Bad - A bank thermometer showed 101 degrees at 1:15pm.

Good - Finally finished at mile 78. Debbie and Rick had finished recently and were in each car waiting. Deb did 46 and Rick had all kinds of issues with tires. Need to remember to ask him if he overinflated for the heat (likely). Just glad to be finished.

Great - Huge burger, shake and diet coke went down in seconds. Didn't think I was that hungry. The shake rocked the hot belly.

Good - Home. Shower. Nap. All is good with the world.