Friday morning I took Robin to the train station since his team was starting in Kelso at 10am. I gathered everyone's o
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The gang on the road:
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As Greg was willing to captain I had set up the bike to put him on front first with the idea being we'd switch at some point later in the ride. We cruised over the Hood Canal Bridge, through Bremerton and Belfair (with a couple mechanicals for Mark and Tom) and then made the challenging climb up to Mason Lake and Greg's cabin where we could rest for an hour or so and enjoy Mary's fresh blueberry muffins, yum! We set off again about 2am and it was COLD!!! We were all piling on as many clothes as we had with us and Greg added the timeless accessory of baggies over his socks to keep his feet warm. Next we hit Shelton and then a fairly long stretch to Montesano just as the sun was coming up.
Rick and Tom arriving in Montesano- here comes the sun!
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Greg did a great job with the tandem and the team kind of yo-yo'd and did very little riding all together. Breakfast at the Beehive set us up for the next run to Matlock and then Hoodsport and everyone's favorite Hood Canal coffee shop. I was still wearing my coat but finally was able to shed it as we left Hoodsport. We also decided to switch captain and stoker duties here. By this time Greg was definitely feeling the folly of letting me chose his saddle for him! The more familiar Brooks saddle on the back was a bit better but I'm afraid his butt was already too far gone for much comfort.
The boys in Hoodsport (Mark is happy, Greg is sleepy, and all get caffeine!)
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The lumpy bits between Hoodsport and Brinnon have never been my friend but, mysteriously, even though I am out of shape, they weren't quite as nasty as usual. I must remember to attach that Greg motor more often! In addition to Greg's great skills on the bike and his strength he also provided nearly non-stop entertainment in the form of bad jokes, political commentary and discussion, and general silliness. Even when he claimed to be sleepy the banter continued which was much appreciated and made the time pass quickly and the hard parts much easier. We had times throughout the ride of being with any combination of team mates and enjoying talking with them or commiserating about the cold, our tiredness, sore butts, or whatever. The climb up Walker Pass went fairly well and the descent was terrific. At Quilcene we hooked up with Mark for a bit and it finally got warm enough I removed my leg warmers. Yikes!
The team regrouped at our 22 hour checkpoint and hung out on Fat Smitty's display clearly marked with numerous signs telling us to keep off. Of course we sprawled all over it and I wish I'd gotten a photo! We were there for nearly an hour before we were within 2 hours of our official finish time and could carry on. Getting back on the bike was tough - muscles and joints had stiffened and Greg's butt was in a sorry state. I thought we pretty much had it made despite the fact that our route had us coming into town via Cape George Road. I've ridden that road before and knew it was an unrelenting series of climbs but memory failed me in terms of how hard it really was. Greg and I huffed, puffed, and groaned our way up all of them in the lowest available gear. I was sure we'd have to walk at some point but somehow Greg always found a reserve of power to keep us going.
We arrived at Jon's house to collect the car and on the way to our lodgings at Fort Worden we came upon Robin and his team walking to town. After more than 8 hours after their ride they were looking pretty chipper and refreshed. We all got cleaned up and joined them for dinner in town. Eyes at the table were beginning to droop before long so back to Fort Worden for bed. A fabulous brunch on Sunday along with hearing the stories of the other teams topped off the weekend.
T
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1 comment:
We only get more points for women on PBP. For the fleche, we're just recruiting our favorite people to ride with!
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