I anticipated this ride for quite a bit. I missed being off the bike most of May and then it was hit and miss all throughout June. What I didn't anticipate were the difficulties that would challenge me each and every day.
Day one to Apopka was a day of getting use to Zach's bike. He let me borrow it for the trip. Half way through the day I realized I should have changed out the saddle. As the heat set in the cuts from my recent bike wreck began to sting as sweat poured into them. In the wreck I also hurt my hands so it was hard to grip any one way for very long. I was constantly changing my grip position throughout the day.
I stopped in The Villages for lunch at McDonald's. While there I was glad to run into Dustin. He was with a friend and decided to lunch at McDonald's as well. It was great to visit with them.
I got rolling again and didn't stop again till I arrived in Leesburg. There I got to visit with Ronnie Allegro. Ronnie was a student at UF and at CCH a few years back. He also likes to ride from time to time. It was great to see Ronnie and take a break from the heat. He blessed me with a cold water bottle.
I had talked with my brother David off and on throughout the day. His plan was to meet me in Eustis and ride with me to Apopka. I knew the distance I had to cover to get to Eustis and how long it would take so I visited with Ronnie for about a half hour. It was great to see him again. I am looking forward to a return trip to Leesburg so we can go for a ride.
I got to Eustis a bit late because the heat was getting me and I was running out of fluids. David and I met in the middle of Eustis and we rode to the closest McDonald's for a snack and an iced coffee. I also refilled my camelbak. From there to my mom's house we rode well. The McDonald's break did wonders. Once we got to mom's house we cleaned up and headed to Sonny's! I had hoped for that but never mentioned it so when mom suggested it I was super excited. We had a great dinner and visit. I knew the night would call for ibuprofen and lots of rest because the next day's ride to Okeechobee was going to be tough.
