Yesterday I rode 50 miles in the Tour de Cure. This bicycle ride raises money for the American Diabetes Association. Thanks to family and friends I raised over $500 and was tenth among riders in the Tour in raising money this year.
The course is an out-and-back route east of Little Rock. The route is very flat and not really very scenic. Most of the countryside consists of farm fields, but there are a few scenic stretches where large pecan trees line the road.
It was a nice day for a ride; the temperatures were in the 60’s so we didn’t get hot. Unfortunately, it was very windy. Most of the time the wind was a crosswind, although it seemed like we were riding into a headwind most of the time. There was one stretch where we rode directly into the wind, and that was brutal. Of course, on the way back along that part of the course the tailwind was nice as we rode at speeds of about 20 miles per hour and didn’t feel any breeze in our face. Thus, I assume the wind was blowing at least 20 miles per hour.
I rode with Jim B. and Janice P. They are friends I ride with regularly. We didn’t ride at a very fast pace, which suited me just fine, because I am not in tip top shape. We stopped at all the aid stations for food and drink. Our riding time was over 3.5 hours. That plus the time we spend at the rest stops meant we on the course over 4 hours. I averaged a little over 14 miles per hour. Last year I rode 62 miles at a pace of a little more than 17 miles per hour.
Ann was at the finish line when we finished to take our picture. There was a big inflatable archway at the finish line, and Ann meant to take our picture as we rode through the arch. Unfortunately, the wind blue down the arch and knocked Ann to the ground just before we arrived.
We were happy to finish even though we didn’t get to ride through the archway at the finish line.
Next on the agenda was to go get some Bar-B-Que!
