The first 2 hours we averaged 10.1 mph. Those hills started pretty much right away! It was absolutely ridiculous! The first food/drink stop was at mile 22 and was supposed to close at noon. It was 11:35 and we still had 6 miles to go.

We had decided that if one of us stopped on a hill the other would keep going and we would wait at the top. I slowly made my way up a torturously long hill. I couldn't see Kathy, but I figured she would be coming right up. I made it to the top...ahhh thank God. No Kathy yet. Wow it is so quiet out here... not a sound and no traffic at all. Wait wait wait. Where is she? I really did not want to go back down that hill...cause I didn't want to go back up! Finally I do. Wheee!!! I am doing 38 mph.
There is Kathy with her bike torn apart changing the 2nd flat. She has frozen off the presta valve with the co2 and laughing like a crazy woman. OK I give her my tube and co2. The co2 won't pop and while she is waving it around it goes off and she ends up with a tiny amount of air in the tube. We are laughing hysterically now. We have no way to put air in the tire there are no cars or people around. We don't think anyone is behind us.

Out of the blue, 2 cyclists with TNT jerseys come around the corner, and the guy pumps up Kathy's tire. They were really nice and say they will tell the people at the aid station that we are coming.

We collect ourselves and go back up the long hill..again. We get to the rest stop at around 12:40 and the man is getting ready to leave and is pretty nasty to us. He can't believe it took us so long to get there. He only gave us time to fill 1 water bottle each. We ate bananas and a few cookies and we were off again.

I think this is where my chain started falling off. It probably fell off 6 times total. I sort of bent the wrong way while putting it on and could feel a pull in my lower back and climbing the next hill I could really feel it. I wasn't having fun at all! I swear if the devil himself had offered me a ride between miles 28-38 I would have gladly accepted and sold my soul in return. It was that bad! (I think Kathy felt the same way)

Finally the mile 44 rest stop! I fell off my bike in front of everyone of course. I was starved and ate a banana, 2 PB&J sandwiches, 4 cookies and a full bottle of orange gatoraid. We hung out for a while. I let a French guy from Montreal use my cell because his nice Kuota was inoperable.

I am feeling a lot better now and feel like I will be able to finish. There were a few more hills but nothing like the whole first part of the ride. I did lose my chain again right at the start of a descent....bye Kathy. She was already a speck in the distance. Two guys stopped to see if I was ok...finally there are other cyclist around us!

The last 7 or 8 miles I was toast. It was pretty flat so we both stayed aero and just rode. I just followed Kathy and wished that it was over. The signs brought us back into Westfield on a busy 4 lane road...didn't like that at all! Finally there is Kathy's van! We did it!

not sign up for this. I can't find the words to express how ridiculously diffcult this ride was!! There is no possible way to take this ride easy! The climbs are long and tough. Climbs lasted from a few minutes to 30 minutes. My cadence was at 30-35 and my speed 3.4 mph. TORTURE. I should have been walking.
It was difficult to dress for this weather because as you are climbing the mountains it is sunny and hot and you start sweating. Then when you descend is it shady and cool and then you are freezing.

We were out on that course from 10:10 am till 5:10 pm. It was a long day!
I immediately felt like I needed to sleep. probably not a good sign. Kathy was as chipper as always, talking to everyone. I was dying.
They had pretty good food afterwards, but it was cold by the time we got to eat.


Mountains!! My lowest speed was about 3.3 mph and my highest speed was 44.5 mph. I have never been that fast before. I was feathering my brakes because the road was curvy. I was afraid of cornering too fast and wiping out. I also have never cycled more than 42 miles. My shoulders and neck felt like someone was using an ice pick on them!


I can say right now that I will never do this ride again! Although it may be like having a baby, and you forget the pain over time. I don't know yet.
It certainly was a picture perfect fall day and I had great company.