Sunday Morning,
Woke up about 6:00 am, took inventory of body parts and morale,
body parts good, all there, very stiff , felt like I had been in a brawl
with 12 large men in a tight alley, morale was so-so . I've lost some confidence
since yesterday morning, my readiness in question, my stamina is balancing on a tightrope,
Do I go home and feel great about yesterday or do I risk it all, take a chance of being picked up by the SAG truck, throw my hands up in defeat, pat the top of my helmet and forever know I couldn't cut it? I dressed in my riding clothes and walked downstairs to put a bag in the car,
the motel was buzzing with riders ready to tackle another day, the buzz infected me , my decision was made, go for it, it wouldn't be me to drop if I had the slightest chance, my gumption and determination got me this far. Marie dropped me off at the starting line. I readied my bike, made last minute checks and joined the remaining riders for another day of pleasurable agony. The starting line crowd was smaller than yesterday, the outfits were as colorful as the riders were weary, and the weather was PERFECT.. I positioned myself following the 2/3 rule and waited for the start. I heard the crowd ahead start to rumble and we're off.
My legs instinctively began to work, once in the grove they felt as though there was still life inside them. A large POW! veered everyone to the left, a girls tire exploded, too much tire pressure.
The ride to the entrance of Percy Quinn Park is rolling, shady, cool, narrow and tight, no failures and no falls. A couple of miles under our belts and were on the public road, everyone's warmed up and ready to ride. As riders passed, I rang my bell, tandem riders requested 2 rings.
Determined, yet unsuccessful, to hold my pace today, I was passed by old men, children, an armadillo, an abandoned refrigerator and a dog that ran the first 30 miles of the tour.
No skipping "rest stops' today, at stop 1 I started an orange jag that lasted the day,
orange after orange after orange intermingled with raisins, grapes, nuts, and granola bars.
Beautiful weather , beautiful scenery, and rustic dairy farms with black and white cows laying under shade trees chewing a cud and laughing at the bicyclist riding by . The locals had laid out plenty of fresh road kill and camouflaged painted 4 wheelers dotted the landscape. Only one major hill today, a return match with King Kong. The remaining hills were shallow and the elevations trended docile as we struggled southward.
My left thumb grew sore from ringing my bell as a scores of riders passed me with ease and grace, I was not alarmed until a man that I can only describe as a Santa Claus out of uniform and on a bike passed me with a non-chalant smile. Time for a dose of motivation , I prepare my mp3 player for play when Louise pulls on side and we exchange pains, obstacles and determinations. At rest stop three we catch up with her friend George. Louise had rode the tour before but George was a first timer.. It was our duty and obligation to encourage and motivate him to a successful finish. Between us and stop 4 was "King Kong", a mount that is part of the Alp chain that runs through south Mississippi across the Atlantic and into France.
I donned my oxygen mask and preceded up King Kong ,my thighs burning , my knees aching my feet swelling, and my mouth sucking in air like a cheap vacuum cleaner.
In the lowest gear possible I breached the summit then crotched down for the high speed thrill ride to the bottom, what a rush, I removed my high altitude oxygen mask and continued to push and pedal attempting to gain momentum for the next hill. Nice try, three quarters up the next hill momentum has escaped and
back to peddling in lowest gear ,reaching for the top,breathing heavy, longing for home.
Louise, George and I continue to encourage each other, motivation , motivation , motivation.
Lunch stop filled the need to rest and recoup, pasta, peanut butter and jelly sandwich,rehydrate,
sit on something other than a probing bike seat. I gobbled up some grapes, oranges and a
mini chocolate candy , we prepared to get back at it. A teasing downhill then back up again.
Looking ahead we can see the flatlands approaching, a welcome sight. At 50 miles I could feel the endorfins kicking in, legs went to auto pilot, ass settled into a comfortable spot,
eyes became to scan wildly for interesting sights. We had just peaked a small rise when I glanced to the right and there it was nestled in the thick woods on the right, I slowed down long enough to get a mind photo, 6 or 7 feet tall, shaggy brown fur, manlike shape, long arms, and big feet, it turned and disappeared as soon as it saw me. Wow! what was that I yelled.
It was too late, nobody got to see it but me. Oh well, on to the next hill.
By stop 5, George , Louise and myself had shared life stories and were determined to make it all the way. A volunteer told us that many had dropped out and there weren't many behind us.
The support vehicles , motorcycles and equipment trucks continued to whirl around us, encourage us and lead the way home. We continue on to the last rest stop. 10 miles away
yet seemed like hundreds, no more hills, rough roads, support vehicles buzzing around us,
my ass hurting, my left thigh burning, my right knee aching, all resolved by only 20 miles to go.
Last rest stop in a small town, 10 miles to go, ate tons of oranges, grapes, nuts, anything that would give me a few ounces of energy to make it. Quick rest, then onward, we can smell home
now and the intensity and focus magnify. No more talking , no more sightseeing, no more
lamenting. The sun is starting it's path downward and we're headed home. We reach Hammond emotionally quick but the trip through town seemed forever.
Finally the last turn at the SLU Center, a crowd of thousands stand to cheer us across the finish line , microphones shoved on our face, cameras flashing and bands playing as we cruised in to the paddock area. ( well that's how I saw it).
I am now released from the prison of "can I do it again", the chains of "will I last", and the burden of " should I take the risk".
What an experience... Will I do it again ? Who knows.
later
gary
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