What Was I Thinking....

Initially, I was planning on boycotting this blog. I thought it would be extremely repetitive and time consuming, and couldn't see how anyone would want to read it other than my mom and maybe jackie. But since I was bombarded with criticism on my second day of the ride, I gave in. So here we go...
The trip started out great. We ate breakfast at golden dolphin, my favorite diner of all time. It felt just like old times, rushing to scarf down fresh squeezed OJ and chocolate chip pancakes before camp started up. This was followed by a pit stop at my house to pick up my things and straight to st anthonys where we hijacked a minibus and traveled to the B.X. big ups to quinn for being an excellent driver and zoning out midway through conversations. We arrived safely, unloaded the bus, and began to assemble ourselves.
Just as we arrived at the new stadium to take our starting photo against the wall, the sky decided to give us a taste of what we could expect later that day. We made a few pitstops along the way- hardware store to adjust my bike, hudson river to re-energize and give directions to a stranger, gas station for some fresh water and the best looking bathroom i've ever seen... and about 10 minutes after stating what great weather we were having, the sky OPENED UP. Thunder in the background, puddles across the road, and raindrops so big I couldn't see anything in front of me. I was soaked, cold and nervous. As ridiculous as it was, I loved it.
We continued to trek along for several miles, stopping only to make sure we were all alive and relatively together, until we reached the diner for lunch. We first asked permission to sit and eat, considering we were completely soaked and each had pools in our sneakers. I, of course, had a veggie burger, while the boys ate manly meals of meat and fries.
About 15 minutes after leaving the diner, billy decided to get a flat. With the help of a roadside bike guide, all four of our efforts and a solid 20 minutes to change, he had a new tire. Keep in mind it was still pouring. And this is about where I "pulled the trigger" in someone's front lawn, of course with them watching. Needless to say, I won't be having any more v.b.'s on this trip.
The rest of the day went on with some pretty intense hills, a few stops to rest and re-fuel, and a lot of asking John "how much farther."
I'd say about 2.5 hours before we ended, I hit a wall. I physically couldn't make my legs pedal anymore. Each time we came to a hill (which was A LOT), I knew I would work my butt off to climb it and end up walking the top half. I couldn't believe how fast Mr Corrao and Mr Mullady got to the top. What, like they've done this before? Seriously props to you guys. If we were giving out awards to the two top riders of our group, I'd vote for you.
When we finally got to the Leightons' house for our first night, my legs were burning beyond belief. I couldn't even carry my panniers up the front steps (thanks John and Timy.) I immediately fell on the floor and didn't get up until dinner. The night ended with some homemade guac (which Billy and I housed, john got to lick the spatula), a glass of cabernet, and the most delicious pizza I've ever had. And that's about it. I passed out on the pull-out right after dinner while the boys ate brownies and icecream.
Day #2 has been MUCH better.... but I'll talk about that at another time...