Yesterday I transported my bike, Bob trailer, Bob bag and saddle bags to Atlanta. Brad will pick everything up on Monday and take it to Kingsport, TN. On May 1 Brad will begin the drive to Flagstaff, AZ with all of my stuff and his. We will meet up on May 3rd.Now I am back in Gainesville and it feels weird to be without the bike and equipment that I have spent so much time on and with over the last year as I was getting ready for the Ironman in Clermont and the upcoming Go the Distance ride. Fortunately I have my mountain bike so it will serve as my local mode of transportation for the next two weeks.
The past few weeks have been full of bumps as well as blessings. Last Thursday I began a 2 day ride to St. Augustine Beach and back. The first day was tough. A bit of a headwind. Hot. I was struggling. When I got to Putnam Hall I stopped to get a drink at a convenience store. As I pulled up I saw two identical touring bikes. I got excited. Trek 520's. Good looking bikes and good looking equipment. I looked at the bikes then I looked inside to see a man looking at me smiling. I went inside and met Jeff then his wife Nike (http://www.jeffandnike.com/). They left their driveway in San Fransisco on February 7th and now they were just a day away from dancing in the Atlantic.
We talked for an hour. I asked them all kinds of questions that would help me on my ride. Then we mounted our bikes and rode to Palatka. They would spend the night there and then ride to St. Augustine Beach the next day.
I rode over the bridge in Palatka then stopped for lunch. I had PB&J for lunch along with a cold Vault. I figured the Vault would pep me up. Wrong. I rode out of Palatka then stopped again for some energy products. After this stop I felt better and rode the rest of the way to the Starbucks in St. Augustine. I was hot so I craved an ice coffee. At that point I was only 2.3 miles from the KOA I was going to be camping at.
I arrived at the KOA and found my assigned camping spot. I quickly set up my tent and then went to take a refreshing shower. After the shower it was time for dinner. I boiled some water on my new one burner camping stove and poured it in my Beef Teriyaki and Rice camping meal. It tasted great, for the moment. I felt it later.
I had a good night's rest after the kids finished their games. I woke at 5am and took a wake up shower. I packed everything out and headed to Starbucks for some java and reading. After a few conversations with folks who wondered where I was headed I began the trek back to Gainesville at 7am. Right before Hastings I heard a "ping". Oh no, a broken spoke. There wasn't anything I could do so I kept riding. In Palatka I stopped at a Wendy's for a baked potato, salad and frosty!
Feeling good I made the turn toward Gainesville. Only 44 more miles! As I got away from city into the country I was enjoying the nice road and scenery. All of sudden I heard another "ping". Oh no, a second spoke. This one was close to the other one. The wobble in my wheel was too much. That was it, I was done. I called Celeste and she came to get me.
After getting home and getting cleaned up I went to the bike shop and explained what had happened. They were going to do some research and make a decision on how best to correct this problem.
I showed up Monday to find a whole new wheel. Stronger rim, stronger spokes. They wanted me to test it out fully loaded so I put on my bags, hooked up my trailer and headed out. Thirty miles later, no problems whatsoever!
Over the past two weeks there have been several bumps that were discouraging but there have also been many blessings that lifted my spirits.
I now feel good about the ride to come. I actually am excited about the ride home that will begin in 20 minutes. Gotta go!
