Today's Ride......

It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. But I always say that after a bike ride.

I rode 50 miles in some of the prettiest country in the state, I think. It was very isolated at times, and I found myself thinking, "Man, I wish I had some music."

Duh. I have an iPhone.

There were miles and miles when I wouldn't see a car at all. Nor would I see another cyclist, which sometimes concerned me. But just when I almost reached the "oh crap I need to check the map" point, I would see a symbol on the road.




If you're so inclined to "View Details" above, note the elevation chart. No wonder my knees are aching. I don't have enough gears for climbing. Lying bastard who sold me my bike.....

It only got unbearably hot the last 10 miles, and I was finished with the whole 50 miles at 11:30.

I never write much about what we eat on these bike rides. It seems that we're eating continuously, but it's not that much at a time.

For breakfast, I had a bagel with jelly and a cup of coffee. Probably should have skipped the coffee, but it's such a habit.

At rest stop #1 (17 miles) I had half a PBJ, a cup of powdered sports drink (blue), and two chunks of watermelon (thanks Paul!).

At rest stop #2 (40 miles!!!) I had two sugar wafer cookies (I wanted two more to even out the stack, but I wasn't terribly hungry), a banana, a cup of the blue stuff, and a pack of peanuts.

Lunch back at the college was a ham sandwich, chips, a yucky cookie, and a bottle of water.
I didn't eat the apple -- too healthy.

Snack was a beer.

Dinner tonight was half a sandwich from Panera, chips, and a cup of soup. Yes, I said soup. When I was standing there in front of the counter, I thought, "These people are going to think I've lost my mind, ordering soup when it's 100 degrees outside."

When I got back to my hotel room to eat, I realized it was the sodium I was craving. That's from the combination of sweating all day, plus all the water I drank diluting my salt content. It was very good (French onion), and it didn't seem nearly so bad eating soup with the air conditioning cranked up.

I think I did all the right things today. I used sunscreen liberally, and I forced myself to drink water every 3 miles. It isn't enough to drink when I get thirsty; they say if you wait until you're thirsty, it's too late.

Tomorrow's ride is supposed to take us into Tennessee. That's one state I haven't ridden my bike in yet.