Early last week cabin fever hit me big time, and I was ready for a road trip. That's not to say that I haven't been getting out riding - because I have. Even so, I was just plain ready for a bicycle ride where I didn't have to wear a half-dozen layers of clothing to keep from turning into a Popsicle. So with that in mind, I started scouring the internet looking for an organized ride that would give me the distance I wanted to ride in a warmer part of the country. Strangely, I was looking forward to breaking out in a serious sweat and having an official "on-the-handlebar" temperature in the 90's.
Now I had a mission. Find a long ride, somewhere warm. I visited every biking club website I could find looking for the right combination of distance and temperature. But I was striking out. Emails were flying from my computer as fast as I could type them, but still no real answer about where I would ride. Most of the clubs that I contacted had short rides scheduled, but nothing in the 200K range.
The search continued, but I was coming up with zip. That was until I stumbled upon the Bike Sebring 12/24 Hours website. Is it possible that I had actually hit the jackpot? Was this the place for me to ride and get away from the cold weather? As I read through the website details, one big thought came to mind. Am I ready for a really long ride? After all, this Sebring thing was much more than just a hundred miler; it was a 24-hour ride.
It sure sounded like fun, but would my butt endure 24 hours in the saddle? Would my knees survive 24 hours of peddling? Happily I can answer "yes" to both of those questions. Bike Sebring was a blast. I did 372.8 miles in 24 hours.
Mission accomplished - I found a long ride in warm weather.
VIVA WALTER!!
1 week ago
